The Discovery
by lostieamyethyst
Summary: Jack, Kate and Sawyer head into the jungle to look for Claire after she left Aaron. They are not getting rescued and none of the survivors live in the Other's houses. Mostly a Jate fic, some Saywer and Kate and some Suilet
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Lost or any of the characters. They are owned by ABC and I am just using borrowing them to write this fanfiction.

Chapter 1 - Preparations

Sunlight pierced his eyes and he groggily sat up. Jack looked around with frustration as he slowly remembered where he was. On a Godforsaken island; in the middle of nowhere…. As the days passed by Jack felt that rescue became further and further away. Of course he would never share these thoughts with the other survivors. With a loud sigh he reluctantly sat up as he heard voices arguing outside his tent.

"Dammit freckles! You ain't listenin'…You can't just go wonderin off in the big scary jungle all by your lonesome."

"Listen _Sawyer_, I can do what I want and NO ONE is gonna stop me!!"

"At least let someone go with you!!! Let me tag along. Let me help you."

"You've helped enough", was the scathing reply.

Jack walked out of his tent to hopefully break up the fight that was escalating between the two voices he recognized as Kate's and Sawyer's. They were already drawing a crowd and he figured he should probably do something before it spiraled out of control.

"Hey!...HEY!...What's goin on here?" Jack asked hoping to get an answer. His commanding tone immediately halted the fight that was ongoing between Kate and Sawyer. They stared at him in surprise and Sawyer was the first to reply.

"Miss G.I. Jane here thinks she can jus go wonderin off in the jungle by herself."

"Jack", Kate said, "I have to do this."

Jack looked into Kate's green eyes, puzzled. "Do what Kate?"

Kate hesitated, averting her gaze to her feet and then staring out into the ocean.

"Well aren't ya gonna tell him freckles?"

"Kate? You have to tell me why you're so willing to go traipsing through the jungle by yourself. You know what's out there…and WHO's out there. It's dangerous", Jack said to her.

"KATE!" he tried again.

"I have to find Claire! OK! She just left Aaron! Something is terribly wrong there. A mother doesn't just abandon her child. At least not Claire! She would never do that.." It all came out in one long breath as tears streamed down her face. "I would have been long gone if Sawyer hadn't seen me leaving.." She added in a pissed off voice.

"Kate, you know we looked for Claire as much as we could. We searched everywhere and there was no sign of her," Jack said, in what he thought was his best convincing tone.

"Yeah freckles. What makes you think you're jus gonna find her, when we didn't? Cause as far as I can tell, 5 heads are better than one. So, like I said before. You're wastin your time," Sawyer added to Jack's point.

Kate looked from one to the other incredulously. She never understood why they stopped searching for Claire. She still had hope and every night Aaron cried for his mom, it pierced her heart. Right now, standing in front of the two men on the island she loved the most, she couldn't believe that they thought it was a fool's errand. At least Sawyer had offered to help her but Jack, …Jack was just being unsupportive.

"Claire is alive, and I _firmly_ believe this. You guys can tag along if you want, but I'm not waiting any longer to start looking for my friend. So are you comin or not?"

"Like I said before sweetheart. I'm in for this lil hike of yours. The exercise would do me good," Saywer replied first, smiling the entire time, showing off his dimpled cheeks.

Kate looked to Jack and waited for his answer. His brown eyes looked hesitant.

"Jack?" Kate asked, almost hopeful. Now that Sawyer had decided to tag along, she sorta hoped Jack would too.

Jack was thinking. He thought this whole hike was futile and a waste of energy. But looking at Kate, he saw how much she believed that Claire was alive and out there in need of rescue. There was also no way he was gonna let Kate and Sawyer go into the jungle by themselves. Three was better than two right? He knew Sawyer would protect Kate but he still felt like he had to go. Looking into Kate's eyes he felt he couldn't let her down either.

"Let me get my bag," Jack replied.

Kate gave a small smile and nodded in thanks.

"Well, well, well, looks like it's gonna be a big search party. Should I bring the alcohol?" Saywer teased with a glint in his eye.

"Just be ready to leave in 5 mins Sawyer. I'm not waiting on anyone," Kate said in an authoritative tone.

Sawyer smiled and went to get his stuff packed and ready. Kate watched him leave then turned her gaze to Jack who was walking across the beach to his tent. Juliet was with him and they were discussing something. Kate felt a pang of jealousy as Juliet entered Jack's tent with him. Great. Guess she would be tagging along as well. It seemed like her and Jack got further away the closer Juliet and Jack became. Kate sighed and turned her mind back to thinking about Claire and hoping that they would find her. She quickly walked back to the area on the beach where Sun was taking care of Aaron. She had to say goodbye to him before she left. Even though she won't admit it to herself, Kate was becoming attached to the little guy.


	2. Chapter 2 And the Journey Begins

Chapter 2 – And the Journey Begins

"Jack, what's going on?" Juliet asked as she walked alongside Jack.

"Kate thinks we can find Claire so we're gonna try. Sawyer's going too." He replied looking at her.

"Claire?" Juliet said confused. "I thought you guys already searched for her like a dozen times? There was no sign of her right?"

"Right." Jack replied, "But Kate thinks we should give it one last shot."

Jack entered his tent and Juliet followed, because as far as she was concerned this conversation was not over yet.

"Jack, you can't be serious. You can't just go on a whim just because _Kate _says so. There are other survivors here who need you to look after them. Looks like you only care about one in particular."

She saw his back stiffen and knew she had gone too far. He turned to face her. His eyes looked hard and angry.

"What would you know about survivors?? You were one of Them! Besides, sure I care about Kate but I go where I'm needed, and right now Kate needs me. You can look after the other survivors, and give them medical treatment if they need it," Jack said, the anger still evident in his voice.

Juliet looked at him. It was obvious she had been hurt by his words and Jack regretted them the moment they slipped from his lips, but the truth was, she had upset him by bringing up the topic of him going with Kate.

"Look. I didn't mean that. I consider you to be one of us. It's just what you said struck a nerve," Jack apologized. Juliet nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"Just don't kill yourself Jack," Juliet replied and then left the tent without another word.

Jack walked up to where Kate and Sawyer anxiously awaited his arrival.

"Sorry," Jack apologized, "I just had to explain something to Juliet."

Jack noticed Kate looked a little upset at the mention of her name.

"Great. So are we waiting on her too?" Kate asked, her tone obviously not happy.

"She isn't coming. She's going to stay at camp and look after the other survivors. No sense in two doctors leaving. Now is there?" Jack said with a smile, hoping to ease Kate's anger.

"Oh..ok then. Well let's go," Kate said in a smaller voice. She was relieved and a little happy that Juliet would not be taking part in the search.

"Aw Doc, your girlfriend ain't comin?" Sawyer asked with a smirk on his face.

Jack just smiled and started to walk into the jungle. Kate on the other hand, noticed Jack's smile and the fact that he did not deny that Juliet was his girlfriend. She felt her heart twist in a knot as she realized that she may have already lost Jack to Juliet. She felt a sadness overwhelm her and jealousy that she had never experienced before. Sawyer's voice shook her out of her stupor.

"Freckles! What's the holdup?! This is your party remember?..and you ain't leadin."

She quickly snapped out of it and jogged to catch up with Sawyer and Jack.

They had been walking for about 2 hours with no luck.

"Maybe we should stop and rest for awhile," Jack suggested.

Kate looked hesitant and Sawyer looked to Kate.

"Your decision freckles."

"Ok, yea, sure, let's rest a bit. But not too long. We should cover as much ground as we can before nightfall," Kate replied.

Jack's face registered a frown, and he took off his bag and retrieved some water.

"Kate," Jack began softly, "If we don't find anything by nightfall, is there really any use in continuing on?"

Kate's expression hardened. She couldn't believe that Jack was being such a downer.

"Jack you can leave if you want, but I'm going to keep searching tomorrow," Kate replied firmly.

"Dammit freckles," Sawyer piped in, "I wanna find Claire just as much as you do. But we gotta know when to count our losses," Sawyer said with a grim look on his face. "If we don't find nothing, we should go back to the beach."

Kate stared at Sawyer incredulous. Now he was on Jack's side! Whatever happened to following her?

"Sawyer, 2 minutes ago you said it was my decision. I took that to mean that you were _with me_ when I made a decision!"

"Sorry but the Doc's right. We just can't keep walking through the jungle with no trail! We ain't following no yellow brick road here sweetheart." Sawyer said.

"You know what. You guys can just leave because your negativity..isn't helping us find Claire." Kate said, her voice rising.

"That's not the only thing stopping us from finding blondie", Sawyer mumbled under his breath.

"What'd you say Sawyer? I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that. Was it another witty comment so you can make it through the day? "Kate asked with animosity.

"ENOUGH!" Jack shouted. "You guys are like an old married couple. We'll figure this out later. Right now can we just…."

Jack was stopped mid-sentence as a loud, earth shattering roar ripped through the jungle.


	3. Chapter 3 The Monster

Chapter 3 – The "Monster"

Jack and Kate quickly looked at each other and exchanged worried glances. They both knew what that sound meant. Kate's eyes were wide-eyed in terror and she held Jack's gazed worriedly, frozen in her spot. Sawyer glanced around the jungle frantically trying to determine the source and realized it was futile as another loud deafening roar pierced the jungle.

"RUN!!!!!!" Sawyer screamed as loud as he could.

With that to urge them on, they all took off at a fast-paced run, neither paying much attention to where they were going. Their only concern at the moment was getting as far away from the "monster" as possible. Kate ran quickly, the jungle going by in a blur, with Sawyer in front of her. His pace was no match for hers however and she soon lost him. She quickly glanced back and realized that Jack was missing too.

Her foot connected with a root, and suddenly, she was falling. As she put her hand out to brace herself, her right hand bended awkwardly behind her. She groaned as a sharp pain shot up her arm. Her head connected with the ground, but that pain was nothing compared to the one in her arm. The "monster" was still around, and Kate scanned the jungle for somewhere to hide. She spotted what looked like an alcove between two trees and she hurried into the small space.

After what seemed like forever to Kate while she quietly hid in the tree, she let go a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The sound of the monster slowly disappeared and Kate carefully stepped out, shaking from fear and cradling her injured arm. Now she had to find Sawyer and Jack. She was worried about both of them since the jungle appeared to be deathly silent.

"JACK!"…… "SAWYER!" Dead silence. She tried again.

"JACK!"……. "SAWYER!"

"Over here freckles. Would ya stop your hollerin, you're givin me a headache." Sawyer said as he walked out of the jungle, looking unscathed.

Kate signed with relief as she spotted him and she walked over to where he was coming out from the jungle.

"Are you ok?" Kate asked tentatively.

"Nothin a lil kiss won't fix," Sawyer replied, smiling charmingly.

"Let it go Sawyer." Kate scoffed. "This is not the time……. Have you seen Jack?" She asked after a pause and a quick glance around.

"No, I thought he was with you."

Kate became worried again. Sawyer was fine, but Jack appeared to be missing. Her heart beat loudly in her chest at a rapid pace. Where was he??

"JACK!" She yelled, with Sawyer soon following her lead.

"DOC!"

"JACK!"

"DOC!"

Kate glanced worriedly at Sawyer. She was starting to panic now. What if he was laying somewhere unconscious and hurt? They had to get to him. What if the "monster" had taken him? What if he was dead? What if she never saw him again? She shook her mind of these thoughts as she tried to clear her head. It would be her fault if something happened to him. If Sawyer hadn't discovered her leaving and then given away her plan, Jack would not be in danger right now.

"Its ok freckles. I know what you're thinkin. The doc's ok. He can take care of himself, so don't you worry."

"I'm not so sure Sawyer. I have a bad feeling that he isn't. We have to find him" They continued to walk around the area looking for Jack and calling his name.

"JACK!" she tried again. "JACK!!!!!"

"Shhhh…. Be quiet for a second, would ya?? I think I hear somethin."

Kate was quiet and looked around anxiously. That was when she spotted what looked like Jack's bag. She was about to step further than the bag when Sawyer pulled her back.

"Careful freckles."

Sawyer had pulled her back from what appeared to be a drop. She had almost gone over the edge, and it looked like it was a relatively long way down.

"Sawyer, Jack probably didn't see this when he was running." The fear was evident in Kate's voice. As she glanced at Sawyer they both thought the same thing. Jack was injured and they needed to find him. They slowly made their way down the hill. Kate slipped a few times as they descended the steep incline but Sawyer was always there to steady her again. Then suddenly she saw Jack's hand sprawled on the ground.

"Jack!" she yelled as she rushed to his side.

He was unconscious and he was bleeding profusely from his head. There were also a few cuts and scrapes on his arms and face. Other than that, no injuries on the outside were visible.

"Sawyer, what should we do? He doesn't look good" She said as she cradled his head and his face. Tears started to slip down her face and betrayed her feelings.

"We gotta stop the bleeding" Sawyer said as he started to rip apart his shirt and then placed it on Jack's head at the point of bleeding. "Hey, doc! can you hear me?"

"Why isn't he waking up?" She asked Sawyer worriedly. "Jack…Jack…" She whispered his name in his ear and tried to wake him up by gently tapping his face, tears still running down her cheeks. She was really worried now. If he would just wake up…..

"I think we may have to haul the Doc back to camp freckles, especially if he don't wake up." He added the last part in a smaller voice. Kate looked at him, her green eyes tear filled. How were they going to get Jack back to Juliet?


	4. Chapter 4 Recovery

Chapter 4- Recovery

Jack groaned and startled Kate. Sawyer and Kate looked down at him instantly. Kate shifted her position to hold both sides of his face, so that she was more in front of him than behind.

"Jack!" She couldn't help but smile a little now that he was awake. She felt relief wash over her as he was no longer unconscious. However, the fear that he might still be seriously hurt forced her to become concerned again.

"Kate?" he groggily replied. "What happened?"

"We heard the "monster" and then we started to run. You must not have seen the drop a..a..and you fell."

"Ah" was all he said as if it was now coming back to him. He moved to sit up.

"Jack, what are you doing?!" Kate said incredulous.

"Doc, you hit your head pretty hard. You should probably take it easy. We ain't in no rush."

"I'm fine. Let's continue the search for Claire. That's what we came here to do."

"Jack, you are not fine! You need to lie down." Kate tried to make him lie down but it was futile. She looked to Sawyer for help but he just avoided her gaze.

Jack started to stand, slowly, it was apparent he was still weak. He felt the cut on his head, and seemed to be worried for a second but quickly changed his expression. Kate noticed and eyed him warily, thinking he might fall over any second.

"How long was I out?" He asked them.

"Don't know for sure Doc, We couldn't find ya for awhile."

He nodded and processed this. Kate grabbed his forearm.

"Jack, are you sure you're ok to continue?" She held his gaze with her eyes for a long time. He didn't verbally respond. He just nodded and gave her a quick smile.

"Let's get going." Jack said.

As they were collecting their things Jack brought up a suggestion.

"I think we should head in the direction of the others' camp. Maybe we could find something there that could lead us to where Claire is."

Kate looked dubious. Sawyer on the other hand knew where he stood and he voiced his opinions.

"Oh yea, that's a great idea Doc, Let's walk into the camp of the people who kidnapped us and threatened us. Freckles, there's gotta be a better idea spinnin around in that pretty head of yours."

"I agree with Jack."

"What!" Sawyer exclaimed. "Have you been takin Hurley's crazy pills?"

"I think he has a good point Sawyer. It's better than not going anywhere in particular. At least this way we have purpose." Kate tried to convince him.

He looked mad and glanced away angrily, gripping his shotgun tightly.

"Fine!" Sawyer muttered." Let's all go get our asses shot at by the crazy folk."

As Jack was walking away Sawyer grabbed his forearm and stopped him. His face was close to Jack's as he whispered menacingly.

"Your decision Jacko, better not end in Freckles getting hurt, cause if she does, you and me, we're gonna have a problem."

Jack just looked at him for a long time, Kate was tying her shoe so she didn't notice their exchange.

"I won't." After a brief pause he added. "I love her too you know." With those words Jack yanked his arm free and trudged off into the jungle.

Kate started to lag behind as they got closer to the Other's camp. She was growing tired and her arm was throbbing with an unbelievable pain. She stopped for a breather hoping the guys won't see her. But Jack glanced back and walked up to where she stood leaning against a tree.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm not the one who fell off a cliff" Kate replied.

Jack laughed. "It wasn't a cliff and I'm fine." He brought up his hand to touch her face where she had a cut. "Hmm doesn't look that bad. I think you'll survive."

When he brought his hand back down from her face it accidentally bounced against her injured arm. Kate winced in pain and Jack noticed immediately.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Jack grabbed Kate's arm, and then loosened his grip when he saw how much pain she was in. He carefully examined it, applying pressure to points on her arm and gauging her reaction. "Kate, this is sprained. Why didn't you say anything?" His brown eyes looked into hers questioning her reason for keeping quiet about her injury.

"It's not that bad Jack" She tried to pull her arm away.

"You are obviously in pain. Now sit down. I need to wrap it."He said in an authoritative voice. Kate figured that was probably how he spoke to his patients, in a kind but forceful manner.

"Kate!? …Doc!?" Sawyer called as he slowly came back into sight, his shotgun cocked and ready. "What's with the holdup?" He asked as he lowered the gun. "You coulda warned a guy we were stoppin. No…. "'Hey Sawyer, let's get….'"He drifted off as he saw Jack beginning to bandage Kate's arm.

"Freckles! What the hell did you do to your arm?" Sawyer asked in concern rushing to her side. He looked worried.

"It's just sprained. She'll be fine" Jack replied.

He finished bandaging her arm and Kate muttered a feeble thanks. She smiled at him but he was not paying attention as he looked at the sky.

"We should get going. It's about to get dark, and we need to get to the Other's camp soon."Jack said, while checking his gun to make sure it was loaded. He took another one out his bag and handed it to Kate.

"Ah Jacko, looks like you're expecting a gun fight. Good thing I brought my little friend here." Sawyer smiled and cocked his gun.


	5. Chapter 5 Negotiations

Chapter 5 – Negotiations

Why are they so stupid? He thought to himself as he watched the trio trudge through the jungle. Always looking for trouble. He had overheard them say they were looking for Claire. Claire! After all this time did they really think that they could find her.?Hahaha…they are really very naive. However, he could not let them discover the true whereabouts of where she was. He turned and walked back in the direction he had come from. Looks like something would have to be done about them….and soon.

"Well Doc. What's your plan?" Sawyer asked as they crouched in the bushes, right outside of the Other's houses.

"We search the houses and see if we can find anything," Jack replied. He was scanning the area and as far as he could see, there was no visible movement.

"Doesn't seem like anybody's here." Kate said, staring intently around at the houses.

"That don't mean that nobody ain't freckles."

"We should split up. It would be faster to search everywhere." Kate said

"It's too dangerous" Jack replied. "We should stick together."

"Jack. Come on. We can all take care of ourselves." Kate replied. She had an intense, determined look in her eyes as she set them on Jack. He knew she was mostly saying that she could defend herself. He stared back into her green eyes and knew he wasn't going to win this argument. He bowed his head and shook it. Either that or they would continue arguing and just waste time.

"Ok. We split up, but not too far from each other. Stay close and call for help if you need it." Jack said looking into Kate's eyes the entire time. She nodded in response.

Sawyer grumbled something under his breath. Jack and Kate both ignored it.

"Ok. Let's go." Jack said.

They slowly crept up to the houses, looking in all directions for some sort of movement. The camp remained completely still. The swing creaked eerily in the wind adding to the desolate atmosphere. Jack felt extremely uneasy and was having second thoughts about this plan. It was too late to turn back now though. He slowly opened the door of the first house he was inspecting and walked in. Everything was immaculate. It was Ben's house and that was why he had chosen to search it himself. He began looking for anything that could lead them to Claire, but there was nothing unusual that immediately popped out. He sighed in frustration, they would have to be thorough and that could take awhile.

*************************************************************************************

Kate was searching through what the Others used as their medical station. Maybe Claire had been injured and they had captured her. She searched feverishly, knowing that something had to be here. She could feel like they were getting closer to finding Claire. That was when she saw it. It had fallen between two beds. She reached down to grab it. It was Claire's she was sure of it. She had seen her wearing it on the beach. She was a little relieved as she realized that Claire had been here. This soon turned to dread as she realized that this meant that the Other's had Claire. She rushed off to show Jack and Sawyer, running at top speed and bursting through the doors to the bright sunlight outside. The sight that met her made her stop dead in her tracks.

Five Others stood holding Sawyer whose face was bloodied, indicating that he had obviously tried to put up a fight. He was kneeling on the ground and Tom had a gun pointed at his head.

"Hello Kate. Nice to see you again." Tom said calmly. The four Others behind him all had guns but they were not pointed at her or at Sawyer.

"Let him go. We didn't come here for a fight." Kate tried to negotiate in a calm voice but it wavered and this made Tom smile.

"JACK!! WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US!" Tom shouted.

Kate looked nervous as she saw Jack slowly emerge from the house to the left of her with his gun cocked.

"Now Jack. You need to lower your weapon, or James here will be shot." Tom said threateningly. "Don't try anything heroic." He added as an afterthought.

Jack however didn't move and stared fiercely at Tom, his gun still aimed at him. "Are you ok Kate?" Jack asked, his gaze not moving from Tom. The fierceness in his tone surprised Kate.

She nodded, and then realized Jack couldn't see her response. "I'm fine." She replied.

"Jack lower your gun. You have until the count of three." Tom said again. The four men behind him raised their guns and pointed them at Jack.

Kate's gaze became frantic, and her heart began to beat erratically in her chest. She looked from Jack to Tom and the raised guns aimed at him.

"Where's Claire?" Jack asked.

"One." Tom started. He cocked the gun, aimed at Sawyer's head.

"Jack.."Kate pleaded.

"Two"

"WHERE'S CLAIRE!" Jack shouted.

"JACK!" She looked to him frantically. "Put down your gun! Don't be stupid!"

Jack's face twitched a little but he didn't lower his gun.

"Shoot the sons'of bitches" Sawyer spoke for the first time. His speech came out slurred as if he had been drinking.

Kate glanced at Sawyer as she couldn't believe what he had just said. Tom swiftly hit Sawyer over his head with the butt of the gun and aimed it at Jack. Sawyer collapsed on the floor.

"NO!!!" Kate screamed. "Jack..please.." Kate pleaded again, tears streaming down her face. She moved to go closer to him and as she did so the Other's trained their guns on her, except for Tom who now had his on Jack.

"Jack. What are you doing? Do you really want to see Kate shot in front of you? This is the last time I will ask you to lower you weapon. Now lower it!" Tom shouted. After a brief pause, his smile disappeared. "Have it your way then."

"NO!!!!" Kate screamed, diving towards Jack as a shot echoed through the quiet jungle air.


	6. Chapter 6 Survivors

Sorry I took so long to post after the cliff hanger, but I will keep trying my best to keep the story rolling and write in my spare time. Thanks to those who are reading. 

Chapter 6

Kate tackled Jack to the ground, as he fired a return shot at Tom. Kate heard several more shots being fired as they hit they ground. She glanced up hesitantly and saw three of the Others falling to the ground. Only one Other remained standing and he was firing blindly into the trees. Kate saw his shoulder fly back as he fell to the ground clutching his arm and groaning in pain.

Kate stared in shock at the scene that had just unfolded before her eyes. She looked frazzled as she looked from left to right. She then hurriedly checked herself to see if she had sustained any injuries. It appeared that she was hole free. She quickly diverted her gaze to Jack to see if he was as lucky as she had been.

"Jack! Are you ok?" Kate asked concern and fear etched in her voice. He looked a bit dazed as he tried to get his eyes into focus, but after a pause he replied.

"Yea Kate I'm fine. Um…..???"

"Oh. Sorry." Kate said as she blushed. She hadn't realized that she had been lying on top of Jack. She rolled off and began to stand as Juliet, Sayid and Locke walked out from the cover of the trees, each one of them brandishing a gun in their hand.

Juliet made a beeline to where Sawyer lay unconscious and began to examine him. Locke and Sayid were checking out the fallen Others . They quickly knocked out the one who was still conscious and checked to make sure that no more Others were still awake. Kate looked around at the bodies on the floor and realized that one was missing.

"Where's Tom?" She asked them in a frightened tone.

"He got away from us." Sayid replied, looking grim. It was obvious he was mad that Tom had managed to escape. "Actually, John thought we should let him go." He added in a disapproving tone.

"No sense killing unnecessarily." Locke said.

"Good thinking." Jack stood shakily and clutched his side.

"Jack?" Kate asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just a little graze. I'll be fine."

"Let me see." She said as she walked toward him and moved his hand from where it held his side. It was bleeding but not profusely from where the bullet had grazed him. Jack winced as Kate placed her hands close to the wound to inspect it.

"He'll live." Sayid interjected when he saw that Kate thought the wound looked worse than it was.

She looked up at Jack her hand still on his side and realized that this situation could have turned out to be a lot worse. What was he thinking not lowering his weapon before? He stared back at her wondering what was going through her head as they locked eyes. She dropped her hand from his side.

"What was that back there?! " The question exploded from her as she could no longer hold it in. His eyes opened in surprise as this was not what he had expected her to say. "We could have been killed!" Kate tried to not get too angry at him.

"I'm sorry I put you in danger, but I thought it would've been ok after I spotted Juliet and the others." Jack said trying to explain.

"A signal would have been nice." Kate muttered.

Jack smiled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time."

Kate smiled back as her anger slowly faded away. Her smile disappeared sharply as she heard Sawyer groan in pain. She rushed to where Juliet was kneeling next to him on the floor. As she ran to where Sawyer lay, she didn't see Jack's crestfallen expression as she did so. Jack soon followed her to check on Sawyer as well.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Kate asked as she reached Sawyer and Juliet.

Juliet looked up. "He'll be fine, just a few cuts and scrapes."

Jack arrived to hear Juliet's reply and gave Sawyer a once over just to be sure.

Sawyer groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and saw three pairs of eyes staring down at him.

"Guess this ain't heaven. Jacko's here." Sawyer said groggily.

Jack looked away, put off by the remark as Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. She welcomed Sawyer's good humor in this instance when things were so tense. Juliet smiled as well, amazed that he still joked in his condition.

"How do you feel James?" Juliet asked him, directing her blue eyes questioningly to his face.

"Ever seen Fight Club?" He asked. Juliet laughed at his reference and helped him stand. "So, what's the plan now? Doc? Freckles?"

Everyone was quiet as they contemplated this. It was obvious that they were onto something. However, the next step was a mystery to all of them. Kate suddenly remembered what she had found and she took it out of her pocket to show them.

"I found this at the medical station here. It's definitely Claire's. I'm sure of it. This means she was here and she's with the Others." Kate said as everyone looked from what she held in her hand to her face as she spoke.

Everyone was grim as they realized what this meant. There was no way for them to find out where they had her though. For all they knew, Claire could be on the _other_ island.

"I say we start with this guy over here" Locke said as he pointed to the only Other who was still alive but was unconscious on the ground. "Maybe he can tell us something."


	7. Chapter 7 Hostage

Chapter 7

They all followed Locke's gaze to the man on the ground. Locke walked over to him and picked him up by his hands and dragged him off to the side.

"If we're looking for answers, this man is the only one who can help us right now." Locke said with a firm look on his face.

"He ain't gonna tell us nothing Mr. Clean." Sawyer said. "So you're foolin yourself if you think you're gonna get some kinda info from him."

"James is right." Juliet said, backing him up. "As a former…Other…" she stumbled over the word, "…we were told to never give out certain information."

They were all silent as they considered this. Jack appeared to be torn and frustrated. A decision had to be made. He just didn't know what the right one at this moment was. His contemplation was shattered by a determined voice.

"What's wrong with all of you?!" Kate started, "Claire's life could be in danger! Most of all…. Aaron needs his mother." Emotion filled her voice and started to get the better of her, as she tried to get the last sentence out. "We _have_ to find her."

After a brief pause Sayid spoke up.

"We can try." Sayid said. "But I'm not making any promises. This man seems like he may not be very cooperative." With that said, he walked away to where Locke had dragged the Other and proceeded to help tie him up.

"Hey blondie, didn't you know that guy?" Sawyer asked inclining his head in the direction of the Other. "Not many people in your little village right?"

Juliet stared at him incredulously. She couldn't believe that he had brought this up.

"Sawyer." Jack said in a stern, commanding voice. "We are not bringing Juliet into this. She isn't going near that guy and she isn't going to do anything she doesn't want to."

"Like hell she ain't! If she knows the guy Doc, she can talk to him, help us find Claire." Sawyer said in a menacing tone.

"I said NO!!" Jack shouted at him.

Sawyer acquired a look in his eye that meant that he was ready to trade blows with Jack if that's what it came down to. Jack appeared to be waiting for Sawyer to strike first, as his fists were clenched into a ball at his sides.

"Jack. It's ok. I'll do it if it'll help us find her." Juliet said placing a hand on Jack's arm, hoping to calm him down and stop a fight before it started. Kate's eyes followed Juliet's hand to where it rested on Jack's bicep. She felt jealousy overwhelm her and then quickly dismissed it. This was not the time to be thinking about her feelings for Jack and their little love triangle. She quickly glanced away to where Locke and Sayid were tying up the Other.

"Juliet you don't have to do this." Jack said.

"I think she does Jack." Kate interjected. "Or is it that you don't want Claire to be safe?" Kate added with animosity. She was surprised at herself after she spoke those words. Did she really just say that? The jealousy that had risen in her a moment ago was now rearing its ugly head.

"Kate..." Jack said softly, shock evident in his tone. His brown eyes were opened wide in surprise at what Kate had just uttered. "Of course I want Claire to be safe. How can you even think that I don't?" He was stunned. Her words had upset him, and he thought that she knew him better than that. Of course he cared about what happened to Claire. Did she really think so little of him?

Kate didn't reply and just looked off into the distance never once turning her face back to Jack's.

Juliet decided to leave at that moment and walked away with slow deliberate steps over to where Sayid and Locke held the Other. It was obvious she didn't want to do this, but she felt that she was obligated to prove herself. Jack followed her, not looking at Sawyer, and especially not at Kate, as he strode by.

The sun soon set and darkness enveloped the jungle. Kate and Sawyer decided to build a fire, so they gathered a few sticks and branches and soon had a roaring fire going. Jack, Juliet, Locke and Sayid were still "torturing" the Other. It was more like questioning him though, Kate thought. They had hit him a couple times but they mostly made empty threats. Jack kept putting a stop to Sayid from ever going too far. Kate didn't get it. These people had almost killed them and now Jack was showing them mercy.

"You hungry Freckles?" Sawyer asked looking at her across the fire.

"I'm ok thanks." She replied in a quiet voice. He looked intently at her.

"You wanna tell me what's got your panties all in a twist sweetcheeks?"

Kate glanced up at him, clearly not in the mood for his bantering.

"It's nothing ok. Just drop it." She said angrily.

Sawyer held up his hands as if he was surrendering, then he got up and headed into the jungle.

"I'm gonna look for some treats." He yelled back over his shoulder in an annoyed voice. He was obviously irritated or hurt that she hadn't decided to share what was on her mind.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn't see Jack approaching until he sat right beside her. No one said anything for awhile and the crackling of the fire occupied the silence. When Jack finally spoke his voice sounded far away.

"He didn't really give us anything to work with." Jack said. Then he went on when she didn't respond. "Kate, I'm going to try my best to find her, but I can't make any promises…." Jack shook his head and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Aaron needs his mother Jack." Kate said, as she began to tear up.

She hated this lack of control she had over her emotions lately. She kept tearing up every time Aaron or Claire was mentioned. She didn't know why, but for some reason, finding Claire and reuniting mother and son was the most important thing to her right now.

"I know. And we'll do our best. We are doing our best. We're gonna keep looking and I'm going to do everything in my power to find her." He said, and reached up and held her face between his two hands.

He wiped away her tears with his thumb as they fell over her cheeks. God, she was so beautiful, and the urge to kiss her right then was killing him. He knew he would be taking advantage of her as she was vulnerable at this moment, so he held back.

It was almost as if she read the intent in his eyes. Her breath quickened as her heart started to beat erratically and she stared back into his eyes. She slowly brought her face closer to Jack's and pressed her lips against his. He was shocked at first but he soon responded, returning her kiss softly. He still held her face firmly between his two hands and deepened the kiss, both of them breathing heavily. She sighed against his lips and whispered what sounded like his name. Suddenly, she pulled away.

Jack looked into her eyes and didn't want to let her go, but she gently moved his hands from her face and then averted her gaze.

"Kate…" He began, his breathing was heavy from the kiss and it took him longer to form coherent words. This second kiss had left him even more shook up than the first.

"Don't Jack. Don't say it." She said, emotion making her voice waver.

He looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes. No. He thought to himself. Not again.

Kate's eyes were frantic as they were looking everywhere but at Jack's face.

Kate felt like she had to escape from this environment that was slowly closing in on her. The fire in addition to the kiss, added to the heat that she felt around her. It seemed as if the lack of oxygen was suffocating her to death. She couldn't breathe properly as she stood shakily trying to get her breathing and thoughts back to normal. She felt disoriented. She had to get away. She had to get away from Jack. She didn't even glance back at him sitting near the fire. She just turned and ran into the darkness of the jungle. She knew that if she had seen his expression at that moment, when she turned her back and walked away from him; she was certain that his expression would have broken her heart.


	8. Chapter 8 The Plan

Sorry about taking soooo long to update but I was kinda busy. I injured my ankle so I've not been thinking about this story too much. Plus, I think I lost my muse. But now it's back! So without further ado here is the next chapter.

Chapter 8

The man stumbled into the camp as dusk was approaching. He was breathing heavily from running, or rather, from limping. He was surprised he had made it this far without collapsing and felt relief wash over him as he realized that he was nearing his destination. His leg was injured from the bullet that had struck him just under his knee cap, and the pain was almost unbearable. As he stumbled into the camp all eyes turned to watch him, some had looks of surprise and others looked worried, some a mixture of both.

"What happened?" A strong voice asked as soon as he staggered into camp.

"I need to see Ben!" He gasped, wincing as a sharp pain pierced through his entire leg. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He could feel the wound throbbing as he shifted his weight.

"Why don't you tell me what happened first."

"Richard…I..don't… have….." But he was cut off as he saw the look in Richard's eyes. He caught his breath before he went on. "It's _Jack_ and the others. They're searching for Claire." He wheezed. "Shawn, Pete, Drew, Phil…they're all dead…" He ran out of breath at this time again and doubled over. "I need to see Ben!" He said again, this time with as much force as he could muster.

"Maybe you should treat that leg first Tom." Richard said.

"What's going on?" Ben demanded as he stormed over to them.

Tom looked up as his leader approached. He began to relay the story again to Ben and watched as his expression became grave. His eyes hardened and he looked ready to kill.

"How far away?" Ben asked quickly in a clipped tone.

"About two miles give or take. They're at our old camp."

Ben looked at Richard and they exchanged knowing glances.

"Get Claire." Ben said to an Other who was standing nearby. "We're leaving in 10 minutes." As an afterthought he added. "Make sure she doesn't remember a thing. We're going to get her to do what Jacob wants. If they come near her…. or us…kill them."

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Kate walked back into camp several hours later and walked across the grass to where the fire had been. Now it was just a smoldering heap of ash and burnt wood. It appeared that everyone had retired to a house to sleep in actual beds. Kinda creepy that they were sleeping in the Others' beds, Kate thought to herself, but it is a bed after all she decided, as she made her way to a house. It would be better than the hard, cold ground.

"Well I guess we won't have to go looking for you too."

She quickly turned her head in the direction that the voice came from, startled that someone was still up. She squinted through the darkness and spotted someone sitting on one of the porches of the houses.

"Jack" She said softly. She didn't know what else to say. She looked at him for about 3 seconds before turning away. His gaze had been analyzing hers, almost pleading with her to tell him what was going on. She could feel his eyes fixed on her face even after she had turned away. She looked back up to him and when they locked eyes again, she felt like she had somehow lost her voice. He looked like he was about to say something but then changed his mind.

"I'm glad you're safe." He said in a curt tone. He got up and started to go inside the house. The door creaked as he opened it and then it slammed shut behind him. Kate jumped a little at the noise that had disturbed the peaceful night air. Ok, so he was obviously angry. She sighed and walked to the neighboring house, hoping no one had claimed any beds in there. The exhaustion that had built up from the day was beginning to overwhelm her, mentally and physically.

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When everyone had woken up, they spent the better half of the morning deciding what the next best move to make was. Sayid, Locke and Juliet said that they would give it one more shot, and hopefully they would find Claire in 2 days. They couldn't waste time staying away from the beach and the other survivors too long. They also felt like the search was futile and dangerous as it was clearly upsetting the Others. The only person who thought otherwise was Kate. She decided that she would continue regardless, so Jack and Sawyer felt like they had to stay because neither of them wanted her to go off into the jungle alone. They reluctantly agreed for now but Kate could tell that they were not fully supporting her decision.

After much deliberation, Sayid eventually came up with a plan where they would make sure that the Other was unconscious and then leave him in one of the houses, letting him think that they had freed him and moved on. They would then hide nearby and wait for him to wake up and then hopefully, he would lead them to the new camp. They all agreed, hoping that this would work and finally end the search for Claire.

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"Hey Doc. Can I talk to you in private for a sec?" Sawyer asked Jack once the meeting was over. Jack nodded and followed Sawyer to a secluded spot in the camp where they could not be overheard by the others.

"We gotta talk Freckles outta this search, if we don't find blondie."

"I agree. But it's going to be hard. She won't go back with us even if we asked her."

"Maybe we're gonna have to force her…for her own protection."

"No." Jack said. "We are not going to do that. We'll find another way to convince her."

"What other way Jacko! She ain't gonna come willingly. If she goes off alone, she's gonna get hurt, or worse."

Jack grimaced and ran his hand through his hair. He knew Sawyer was right, but he didn't want to force Kate to do something even if it was for her own good.

"You know I'm right Doc." After a hesitant pause he continued, in a much softer tone. "You said you love her. I do too and I don't want nothin to happen to her. If you were on board, it'd make things a helluve a lot easier, but I'm still gonna do it with or without your help. I aint gonna sit back and let her get hurt."

"What are you two up to?" Kate's voice interrupted them and they both jumped a little, clearly startled. Kate looked at them intently and thought that they looked like they had been caught stealing money from their mom's purse. Kate noticed neither of them was looking at her.

"Nothin. Doc's just being a jackass as usual. Ain't no surprise there." Sawyer replied and he stalked past her, glaring back at Jack as he did so.

She stared after him confused, and then looked back to confront Jack about it but he was gone as well, walking in the opposite direction. She immediately frowned and felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She hadn't meant to hurt Jack and now it appeared that he didn't trust her to tell her what was going on. I guess I deserve that, Kate thought to herself.

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"Is everyone ready?" Sayid asked.

Everyone nodded except Sawyer who cocked his gun in response. Sayid gave him a warning look.

"Let's not get trigger happy. We aren't going to shoot anyone if we don't have to," Locke said. Sawyer glared at him but didn't answer.

"Let's go. Everyone knows their positions." Sayid said. "I thought it would be best to split up into pairs. Jack and Kate, Juliet and Sawyer and John and myself."

Everyone nodded. Kate looked perturbed with the idea of being partnered with Jack. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and realized that his expression wasn't any more pleased than hers. Sawyer shot Jack a meaningful glance then, and she figured that this had something to do with their earlier conversation that she had interrupted.

"Allright." Sayid said. "Let's go."

They all stalked off into the jungle to wait on the Other to lead them back to his camp, everyone hoping that this would be the answer to bring Claire back.

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Sawyer and Juliet crouched in the bushes with their eyes on the house where the Other was unconscious. They all had their eyes on different sections of the house in case he decided to go through an exit other than the front door.

The waiting was making Sawyer extremely uncomfortable, not to mention the heat was stifling. He would give anything for a shower or to be swimming in some body of water.

"How do we even know if Mowgli is just gonna lead us back to his camp?" He grumbled.

"We don't." Juliet replied. "But we need to believe he will, for Claire's sake."

"Would you? Cause I know I ain't that stupid."

Juliet smiled as she thought about this. She was about to answer when the Other stumbled through the front door.

"Look alive. Our bait just woke up." Sawyer said as he became alert and tightened his grip on the shotgun in his hand.

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Kate made sure to not make eye contact with Jack because she really didn't know what to say to him. Their eyes were both focused on the house looking for any signs of movement. After a few minutes of shifting around and Jack checking his gun and clearing his throat, it seemed like the silence was deafening. Kate felt that she had to say something. Anything.

"I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

Jack turned his head to her and looked surprised that she had spoken. His brows then furrowed in confusion, almost disbelief.

"I'm sorry.." But she was cut off before she could finish.

"…I kissed you." Jack finished for her with malice in his voice. "You're like a broken record Kate. I'm tired of you apologizing. I get it. It was another mistake. Let's forget it ever happened."

She was surprised at his reaction and she felt anger beginning to boil up inside of her.

"That's not what I was going to say Jack." She said forcefully, while trying to keep her voice as low as possible. They were arguing in whispered voices so that they won't give themselves away. "If you would let me finish…"

"There's really nothing more you can say at this point." He looked away into the jungle as he said this and she could hear defeat in his tone.

"Jack..I'm…" She was cut off yet again as they heard the sound of feet coming closer. Jack quickly covered her mouth and put a finger to his lips. Dammit. He couldn't believe that he let himself get distracted. He knew he should've objected when Sayid paired him with Kate, but he thought she would've kept quiet. He should've known better. He let go when she stopped protesting as she realized that someone was close and from the sound of it heading in their direction.


	9. Chapter 9 Chaos

Chapter 9- Chaos

Kate tried to control her breathing as the sound of footsteps grew closer. At least with Jack next to her she didn't feel that scared, but she was still nervous. Was this the Other that had woken up and they had somehow missed it while they were arguing? Or worse, was this some unknown enemy?

As the person came into view, Kate could see that it was the Other and she felt relief wash over her. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She felt guilty as she realized that little spat that she had just had with Jack seconds before, could have led to their plan going down the drain. How could she have played with Claire's life like that? She willed herself to come back to the present and concentrate on the task at hand. They had to be stealthy when following him, so as not to arouse any suspicion.

The guy walked past their hiding spot and Jack nudged her signaling that they should follow. She hoped that Sawyer and the others had seen him as well, because they needed all of them together to have a fighting chance when they got to the camp.

They kept on following him for a few seconds, each with their guns drawn in preparation for anything. Then they came to a stream and the Other stopped and bent down with cupped hands and began to drink.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the jungle and the Other stood up in a flash and glanced around. Kate quickly hid as the Other's eyes roved through the jungle. She glanced toward Jack who was hiding opposite her. He looked worried and concerned as he pressed his back up against a tree. Then, the Other took off at a fast paced run. Kate quickly stood up and made to follow him but a hand on her arm halted her steps.

"That sounded like Juliet." Jack said fiercely, worriedly. "We can't follow him. We need to make sure that she's ok."

Kate yanked her arm away.

"Jack, he is our only clue to where Claire could be, I'm not going to let him get away!" Kate said forcefully.

"I know Kate, but Juliet could be hurt."

"Claire could be too!" She countered. "You can go check on Juliet, I'm gonna track this guy."

"No Kate! DAMMIT! It's too dangerous! You can't go alone." He protested heatedly.

He pulled her back toward him but she pushed herself away.

"Fine." She said after the briefest of pauses. "Let's go."

With that said, they turned and ran toward the sound of the scream. Jack picked up his pace and soon spotted Juliet lying on the floor. Sawyer was nowhere in sight. He rushed to Juliet and knelt at her side.

"She's out cold. I don't see any wounds," he said, but his tone was apprehensive as he examined her. "Kate can you get me some bandages, she has a small gash on her head and I need to stop the bleeding."

When no one responded, Jack glanced up and looked around.

"Kate? KATE!" He shouted frantically, his brown eyes concerned as they scanned the jungle around him frantically. "Damn it." He said silently to himself. "Why can't she ever listen?"

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Sawyer and Juliet watched as the Other slowly made his way to the edge of the jungle. He stumbled a bit and squinted in the sunlight as he ambled along. As they were waiting for him to enter the jungle, Juliet thought that she heard something move behind her. She turned around suspiciously and didn't see anything that shouldn't be there. She turned her focus back to the Other. Two seconds later there was another sound just like it.

"Did you hear somethin'?" Sawyer whispered to her raising his eyebrow questioningly. Juliet answered him with her eyes and they both stared at each other for a second longer. Sawyer tensed his muscles, knowing what her answer was without her voicing it.

In one fluid motion Sawyer whipped his gun around hoping to aim it at the person or thing, but as he did, it was knocked out of his hand. Immediately after that he received the butt of a rifle to his nose. Sawyer's hands flew to his nose as he held it and groaned in pain. The man smiled and his expression was quickly erased as he received a blow to his knee. Then in quick succession he got an uppercut under his chin. Juliet stood over him triumphantly but she was soon grabbed from behind. Someone had snuck up behind her and now had her in a choke hold. She then felt the cold steel of a gun pressed against her temple.

Sawyer began to recover and looked around for his gun, he saw it within reach, and moved to grab it.

"You don't want to be doing that." A cold voice said.

Sawyer glanced up, his nose bleeding, and saw the gun at Juliet's head. The man on the ground got up and kneed Sawyer in his face. Sawyer flew back onto the ground moaning in pain. Juliet tried to escape the clutches of her captor at that moment and the man tightened his grip around her neck cutting off her circulation. He then released it right before she could pass out.

The other man picked Sawyer up and began to tie up his hands.

"Not so tough now, are ya cowboy?" He said now eye to eye with Sawyer. Sawyer glared at him and then swiftly head-butted him.

"Ahhhh!!!!…..you bastard!" He cried holding his head. He reached down to Sawyer's fingers that were bound behind his back and twisted one of them back sharply.

Juliet heard the loud crack and saw Sawyer's expression of pain as he held in his scream. He crumbled to the ground groaning the entire time.

"Noooooooo!! James!" She struggled again, and then felt a sharp pain on her head, quickly followed by darkness.

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Kate ran through the jungle after the Other. She couldn't be too far behind him. She was beginning to lose the trail though and a lot of it was becoming guess work. As she slowed to a jog to examine the trail better her mind switched to thoughts about Jack. He would probably be mad that she disobeyed him yet again. It was something she felt she had to do however and even though she knew Jack would be upset, she didn't regret her decision.

She bent down and examined the ground. She couldn't be sure if he went this way or not. It appeared that he was covering his tracks now. Shoot! She weighed her options and decided that she should probably turn back.

Kate stood up suddenly as the sound of people walking toward her travelled to her ear. She quickly looked around for somewhere to hide and realized there was none. As the sounds drew closer, she figured that a tree would have to be her best bet. She scaled it as quickly as she could and cradled the highest branch she could get to just as 3 men became visible.

She was startled as she realized one of them was Sawyer. He was bleeding from his nose and he looked like he was in pain. Her heart thumped erratically as she tried to think about what to do. She had a gun but so did the two men and one gun was trained on Sawyer. The odds weren't very good at the moment but she did have the element of surprise.

"We need to figure out what we're doing with him Carter. Ben said to kill them, and yet you seem intent on disobeying him." The bigger of the two men said.

"I just couldn't do it at the time ok. Besides they weren't near us or the girl. We went to look for Phil remember?" The one who was called Carter responded.

"Who we still haven't found!" The big guy boomed. "Also we left that blonde bitch alive. Why?"

"Juliet was one of us. Even if she isn't anymore, we still shouldn't kill her."

Kate was suddenly aware of a movement on her back. She looked around and realized her water bottle was sliding out of her bag. Her eyes opened in alarm as she realized if this fell she would probably be shot on sight. She stretched her fingers out to reach it in time, but her fingers just kept slipping off the condensation on the bottle.

"Fine. We should move on, but let's get rid of this redneck first." The big Other's eyes got a look in them at that moment that made Kate's blood stop cold.

Carter looked like he disagreed but he didn't say anything. He kicked Sawyer's legs out from under him, and Sawyer fell to the floor with a grunt. Kate's eyes flew to Sawyer momentarily distracted from the bottle. It looked like Sawyer was dazed and now the big Other had a gun pointed right at his heart.

"Nice knowing you." He smirked as he cocked the gun.

Kate made a split second decision as the water bottle plummeted to the ground. She grabbed her gun out of the back of her pants.

The bottle hit the ground and all three of them looked up into the tree. That was when she pulled the trigger.

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"Juliet. Can you hear me?" Jack tried.

Juliet moaned and her eyes fluttered open. Jack smiled at her in relief.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked tentatively.

"Like someone hit me over the head."

Jack smiled, and then he remembered the current situation and how much it was unraveling out of control.

"What happened Juliet? Who attacked you?"

"Others." She winced as she sat. Jack put his hand on the small of her back to help her.

"Where's Sawyer?" He asked.

Her eyes became frantic then and they searched the jungle.

"He isn't here?" She asked worriedly. "They must have taken him. They had him tied up."

Jack became angry then and he bowed his head in frustration. Why couldn't at least one thing go right? Now they were searching for 3 people, two of them definitely kidnapped. He stood and began to pace. Why were people always attacking them? How were they so unlucky to crash on an island that had inhabitants whose purpose it seemed was to make the survivors' lives a living hell? At that moment Jack made a decision.

"We have to go find Kate. She took off after the guy we were supposed to be following." He sighed at Kate's stubbornness and determination. He was worried about her and the quicker they started looking for her, the better he would feel. Right now he wasn't doing anything to rectify this situation. Kate could be in danger, time was of the essence.

"What! You just let her go?" Juliet inquired. It wasn't like Jack to not assert authority.

"I didn't let her do anything. It's Kate. She does what she wants, even if you tell her otherwise."

Juliet nodded but she didn't look too happy about it.

"We need to find Sawyer." She spat out.

Jack nodded. He hadn't forgotten about the Southerner. It's just that Kate was in the forefront of his mind right now. She always seemed to be, he thought to himself.

"We need to find a lot of people." He sighed. Jack felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders at that moment, and he just wanted it all to end. At that moment he felt so tired he didn't know if he could take another step. But he pulled himself together and told himself he had to, for Kate, Sawyer and Claire.

"Where the hell is John and Sayid!" He exclaimed suddenly, as he remembered they were suppose to be nearby. He didn't want to risk shouting for them however, so he figured he would just have to wait until they appeared.

Juliet looked shocked at his outburst and looked at him with sympathy.

Just then a shot echoed through the jungle, and Jack snapped his head up. He felt his whole body go numb at that moment and his heart thudded violently in his chest. Oh God, please don't let that have anything to do with Kate. If something happened to her……

He glanced to Juliet and he felt like his expression was mirrored on hers.

"Come on!" He yelled to Juliet. He yanked the gun out of his jeans and took off at a brisk run.


	10. Chapter 10 Decisions

Ok I'm sorry for my fellow Jate fans reading this. I suck at updating. Sorry Don't know how many people are even still reading this, but I thought I would see this fic through for those who still wanna read it( are you still out there?), or are maybe about to start. It's really about how much time I have on my hands, as well as if I can put the main parts of the chapter together in my head. Here is the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews that I received in the past and thanks to all the people who are still reading.

And in celebration of a great eppy of LOST!!!!...whoot whoot!!..here is this next chapt..hope you guys like it.

Chapter 10

Kate fired her weapon and less than a second later the huge Other flew back and landed with a thud on the ground. The next Other fired at Kate just as Sawyer took his legs out from under him, making the shot miss its target and ping off the tree trunk. Kate tried to hide behind the branch and ended up losing her balance. She struggled to hold on as she felt herself falling to the ground.

"Kate!!" Sawyer shouted out, as he realized what was happening. He was helpless with his hands behind his back however and he could only watch as Kate fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud. He held his breath, as she landed and let it out when she groaned and started to move.

"Don't move! Either of you!" A voice boomed.

Crap! Sawyer thought. He had forgotten about the Other. His heart had thudded in his chest when he saw Kate falling from the tree, fearing that she would be seriously injured. He therefore had completely ignored the Other and now he guessed he was suffering the consequences.

The Other was a fair distance from both of them and he kept turning his weapon from Sawyer to Kate and then finally back to Sawyer again. Apparently he had decided that Sawyer was more of a threat as Kate appeared to be unable to get up at the moment.

"You ok Freckles?" He asked as he remained kneeling on the dirt floor.

"Shut up!" The Other yelled.

Sawyer eyed him harshly. "Listen _Rambo_, I don't care if you're bringin the heat. I jus wanna know that the lady didn't break her neck."

The Other cocked his gun in response and aimed it at Sawyer.

"I'm ok Sawyer." Kate said as she started to slowly get up.

The Other trained his gun on Kate when she answered, and Sawyer took that as his opportunity. He dove at the Other and tackled him to the ground while another shot went off.

"Sawyer!" Kate screamed. She quickly scanned the ground for her gun and saw it a few feet away from her. She scrambled for it and advanced toward the two men tousling on the floor. The Other had the upper hand and he kicked Sawyer off of him and wacked him in the head with his rifle.

"Don't move. Or I swear I will shoot you." Kate said with a voice which let him know that she was serious.

The Other made his face take on a sinister appearance and turned his weapon to Sawyer before Kate could even blink.

"You drop yours Kate. You're in no position to bargain." He said as he cocked his rifle.

Kate knew she had no choice. She wasn't sure that she could shoot him before he could fire his weapon. She couldn't risk Sawyer's life though, so she began to lower her weapon slowly.

"Freckles don't you worry bout me. Shoot the son of a bitch."

A shot rang out and Kate jumped, her eyes widening in shock that the Other had fired. She waited for Sawyer to slump over, instead the Other crumpled to the ground. She was confused until she saw Juliet and Jack walk out of the jungle. She sighed in relief and went over to Sawyer. She began to untie his hands.

"AHH!! Watch it Freckles. My trigger finger ain't so happy right now."

"What ha.." But Kate never got the words out as Juliet interrupted.

"They broke it." She stated bluntly.

Kate looked up at her as she spoke. In the background she saw Jack walk over to the Others and nudge both of them with his foot. He then bent next to each one and checked their pulses.

"They're both dead." He stated glumly.

"Lucky for me I got an angel lookin' out for me" Sawyer looked at Kate and winked as she finished untying his hands. "Or..wait, ain't I a lucky man? I think I got two" He smiled at Juliet, showing off his dimples.

Juliet smirked and Jack's expression was stoic. Kate thought he looked like he was ready to yell at her for not listening to him, but then if she had, Sawyer probably wouldn't have been alive.

"_I_ shot him Sawyer" Jack said in a tired voice.

"Oh." There was a long pause, and Kate couldn't help but smile at his blunder. "Alright then. Well I take that back, cept that part bout you Curly Locks."

"You're welcome James," Kate said and smiled at him as she stood up and retrieved her gun. Jack walked over to Sawyer's finger, and inspected it.

"We're going to have to splint that for now." He looked around for materials and used what he had on his person. A couple minutes later, Sawyer's finger was being splinted but not without him letting out explicates at Jack while he did so.

"Come on Sawyer, don't be such a big baby," Kate said in a teasing voice.

He looked at her and gave her a tight lipped smirk and raised one eyebrow. Before he could respond, he felt a sharp pain in his finger as Jack put the finishing touches on his splint.

"Ouch Doc! Do ya treat all your patients with this much care?!" Sawyer exclaimed sarcastically.

Jack looked at him and replied as he stood up, "No, you're special."

Sawyer eyed him with malice while Kate and Juliet both smiled but tried to hide it.

Suddenly, no one knew what to say or do.

"So… what now?" Juliet asked the question that was on everyone's mind but no one wanted to voice.

Everyone turned to look at Jack even though Juliet was the one who had asked the question. His hands were on his hips, his head bowed, and even though Kate could not see his face she knew his brow was furrowed and his whole demeanor screamed that he was frustrated. He shook his head and looked up, staring directly at Kate. His eyes pleaded with her, and she could see that he was giving up hope. She looked back at him silently and sadly, her eyes filling with tears, almost pleading with him not to say it. Not to give up. The Jack she knew was a fighter, not a quitter.

His gaze never wavered from Kate's and he could see it in her eyes that she was about to disagree with him even before he spoke. This however, seemed like their only option right now, and soon it would be night again. It just seemed like they were getting themselves into trouble and nothing good was coming from it. Plus he had no idea where Sayid and Locke had disappeared to, which nagged at him, and gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He only hoped they had gone back to the beach. He couldn't lose any more people.

"Now…," He sighed as he paused. "….now we go back to the beach." Jack said in a defeated tone.

"Jack.."Kate tried to plead her case but she was quickly cut off.

"Kate, we can't keep looking for her without any leads. We gave it a shot. Claire is gone."

"Freckles, I hate to say this, but Jacko's got a point. Hey, if we had somethin to follow, I'd be right there with ya, riding on the "Let's rescue Claire Train". But it just ain't happening today."

Juliet nodded in agreement and tucked her gun into the waist band of her jeans. Everyone looked at Kate and expected her to object more, but she just walked over to her backpack and roughly snatched it off the ground. She began walking in the direction of the beach, in front of everyone, so no one could see her tears.

BR…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Has anyone been following us?"

"No. But we can't find two of our men, and Phil is still missing."

"Let's cut our losses. Tell Richard we'll make camp then go to Jacob in the morning."

"What about the girl Ben?"

Ben contemplated this. Originally Jacob did want him to bring Claire with him. That was his request. Ben as usual had no idea what was going on as Jacob had not felt the need to tell him what he planned to do with Claire. No surprise there. It seemed like he was living on blind faith and Ben was growing tired of it. He could feel his faith wavering, but it had not broken yet.

"Bring her too." He said with finality as he smiled evilly and concocted a new plan in his mind, one that he might use, probably much sooner than he expected.

BR…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The next morning Juliet, Sawyer, Jack and Kate, arrived back at the beach and were excitedly greeted by some survivors. Locke and Sayid had fortunately returned and had had no luck in bringing back Claire either. The other survivors had no idea what their mission had been so they didn't seem disheartened by the lack of one additional survivor returning with them. Juliet, Sawyer, Jack and Kate all wore fake smiles, until the crowd dissipated.

Kate eyed Jack with disappointment, but he never looked at her. He just walked off into his tent. In fact, Jack had not spoken more than two words to Kate since he and Juliet had charged in to save them. She figured he was mad at her, and she was also mad at him for giving up on the search. She quickly made her way over to Sun, who was now playing with Aaron by the shore, determined to ignore Jack for as long as she could.

BR…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Jack walked into his tent, dropped his bag and immediately knelt to open it. He searched inside it vigorously and emptied the contents when he couldn't find what he was looking for. He searched through the emptied contents and threw the bag in a corner, frustrated when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

A southern drawl made him look up.

"Lookin for this?"

Sawyer was leaning against his tent and held a small pill bottle in his hand which he now shook vigorously, rattling the pills against the inside of the bottle.

"Sawyer. Yes, that's mine. Thanks." Jack reached out his hand for the bottle, but Sawyer made no move to give it to him.

"Tsk tsk Doc. You aren't becoming the patient are ya?"

Jack looked down frustrated. He was still on his knees in his tent and his palms were now being clenched into fists as he felt his anger heighten.

"It's nothing Sawyer." He said as calmly as he could. "Just give. Me. The bottle."

Sawyer stared at him, contemplating his next move. "You didn't say please." He drawled.

Jack suddenly stood up and stared fiercely at Sawyer.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" He yelled.

Sawyer narrowed his eyes and tossed it at Jack's chest, where it bounced off and fell to the ground.

"Try not to kill yourself Doc, although, come to think of it, life would be so much better, without you on this rock. And guess what.. she ain't even gonna miss ya." He walked away and left Jack standing there fuming and surprised at himself and how he had so quickly flown off the handle. He wouldn't admit it, but Sawyer's last words before he ambled away, had cut him deep. He felt tears come to his eyes and clenched his jaw in anger. His chest felt tighter all of a sudden and he felt a greater desire to numb the pain, it hurt too much, and he didn't want to feel it any longer.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………..

Juliet and Kate were both playing with Aaron by the water when they heard Jack yell from his tent. They both looked up and saw Sawyer standing there. They exchanged looks and unconsciously Kate made to stand.

"It's ok Kate. You stay with Aaron. I'll go." Juliet said.

Kate nodded and looked worried, but as she saw Sawyer walk away, she felt some of that worry leave her. Normally she would have gone to Jack, but she was still holding on to the anger that she felt about Jack not continuing the search for Claire, so she was more than happy that Juliet had offered. She knew she was probably being stubborn, but she decided she was going to stick to her guns. She picked Aaron up as she saw Juliet enter Jack's tent. While Juliet was talking to Jack, she would speak to Sawyer, because she was still curious about what had just transpired. As she walked over to Sawyer, she told herself that she was in no way doing this because she was worried about Jack.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………

The ground felt cold and damp against her feet, and the darkness closed in on her, pressing, suffocating. She exhaled and inhaled in big breaths as sweat trickled down her back. Branches scratched her face as she ran, but she ignored them, pressing on, her arms flailing widely at her sides. She had to keep going, she had to keep running. Her bare feet slapped the ground and she cried out as she felt something sharp puncture her foot. Uncontrollable tears escaped her eyes and burned as they slid down her cheeks. She limped for a few strides then resumed her normal pace. She had to get back. She had to make it. Her son needed her. She needed him. Her blonde hair flailed around her cheeks as she ran, slightly disoriented, praying that she was not running in vain.


	11. Chapter 11 Anesthesia

Thanks to those who are still reading and those who posted reviews, I really appreciate it. Also good to know some new peeps have started reading. Yay!! Well I only hope I can give you guys a good time, update regularly, and we will see where this fic goes. Here is the next chapt, which is the longest I have written so far. I changed it so many times and added stuff cause it just didn't seem spicy enough. Lol. Enjoy!!

Chapter 11

Juliet raised the flap to Jack's tent and startled him as she did so. He was stooping and her eyes quickly flicked to the sudden and suspicious movement of his hand which darted into his pants pocket. Juliet caught a glimpse of what looked like a pill bottle. She frowned and her eyebrows knitted in worry. Jack exhaled loudly and turned to look at Juliet.

"Hey." Was all he said in a shaky breath.

She stared at him for a couple seconds and Jack grew worried thinking maybe she had seen the bottle. He stood and tried his best to look nonchalant. She was looking at him far too intently though and he could tell she definitely had something on her mind that she wanted to say.

"Hey Jack," She said calmly, "What was that about, with Sawyer?"

Jack shook his head and looked down contemplating what to say.

"Nothing." He stated, and then realized Juliet might inquire further so he added, "Just Sawyer being….Sawyer."

She nodded as if accepting this. Juliet's gaze wondered over him, and decided he definitely looked nervous, and anxious. It was pretty obvious he didn't want her to know what he was doing before she had walked in. She was debating whether or not to bring up the pill bottle that she had seen.

"You ok Jack?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"Yea I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Juliet smiled and said, "Well besides the fact that we're stranded on an island with no rescue in sight."

Jack smiled too and chuckled.

"Good point."

"Then there's Claire…." She drifted off, and wished she hadn't brought it up as she saw Jack's crestfallen expression.

Jack nodded seriously and Juliet noticed his eyes taking on a sad, guilt filled look. She walked up to him and touched him on his arm to comfort him. Jack looked up at her and appeared thankful for her sympathy. She began to leave but Jack spoke up again.

"How's Kate doing?"

Juliet slowly turned back around to face him, thinking of the best way to answer his question.

"How would you feel if you thought everyone you trusted didn't trust you?"

"So, not good. I'm guessing she's still upset."

"She's coming around.. I think." She winced. "Let's just say you're not her favorite person right now."

Jack just nodded, that was all he needed to hear.

"Thanks Juliet."

"No problem." She turned to leave but added over her shoulder, with a smirk on her face, "And Jack, get some sleep. You look like crap."

Jack smiled softly as Juliet said this and left. As soon as she was gone, he slipped back into his depressed mood from before. Kate was still upset with him about the decision that he had made earlier to come back to the beach. He hated disappointing or upsetting her, and he knew his decision to not back her up had hurt her. It also appeared, according to Juliet that she thought he didn't trust her, which wasn't true at all. He sat down in his tent and held his head in his hands, debating with himself whether he should go talk to her.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey Sawyer." Kate said as she bounced Aaron in her arms.

"Not now Kate." Sawyer replied gruffly.

He didn't even look up at her from his seat on the sand. He just kept reading and decided to ignore her, hoping she would leave. Kate stared down at him and then walked away. _Good_. Sawyer thought to himself, _Glad it didn't take her long to get that message. _He started reading again, but in no less than thirty seconds later the book was snatched out of his hand, by none other than Kate.

"Give that back Freckles." He looked at her menacingly.

"No." She said defiantly as she folded her arms across her chest, still holding onto the book. "Not until you tell me what just happened with Jack."

"Why don't you go ask the good Doc for yourself?"

Kate looked uncomfortable at this, as she shifted her feet and averted her gaze. Sawyer smiled as he realized he had hit a sore spot.

"Ahhhh right. You and Jacko ain't seein eye to eye. Well ain't that sad. But not my problem."

He approached her intending to take his book back. He tried grabbing for it but Kate just moved it away from him, swinging it to her side and partly concealing it behind her back. He gave her a look then.

"I ain't in any mood for games Freckles."

"James, just tell me what the yelling was about." She looked at him, pleading with her eyes.

He sighed loudly and turned his back to her, walking a few paces and running his hand through his hair. He shook his head. Kate was puzzled and taken aback with this reaction. Was the argument that had occurred between him and Jack that serious?

"We just had a disagreement. Nothin to be frettin that pretty head of yours about."

She looked at him, shaking her head. He was hiding something and she knew it. Her brow furrowed in worry. This wasn't good, she had a bad feeling that something was going on with Jack. That's what her gut told her. On the other hand, Sawyer liked to play games and aggravate her, and that's exactly what he was doing right now. _No, _She thought to herself, _this isn't just him being an ass._

Kate realized he wasn't going to tell her anything. So she gave him a look that seemed to shoot daggers in his direction, threw the book on the sand at his feet and walked away.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey dude, do you think you can show me how you did that? I think I got it wrong."

Hurley tried to throw the net out again, but it wasn't as successful as when Jin did it.

"Look. Watch my hands" Jin said. He threw the net and it landed right on the fish that were swimming in their vicinity.

"Dude! You got skills. What's your secret?"

"Claire." Jin stated.

"Claire? What.." He looked at Jin confused and realized that Jin was looking over his shoulder. Hurley quickly turned around and was amazed by what he saw. There stood Claire, on the edge of the jungle, looking battered and exhausted. She was glancing around frantically as she had appeared on a more secluded area of the beach, and no one was around except for Hurley and Jin. They were both staring at her in astonishment unable to move or speak until her eyes looked right at them.

"Claire!!!!" Hurley exclaimed and ran towards her, happiness coursing through him at seeing a friend who he thought may have been dead. Jin was right on his heels.

He embraced her and picked her up, and at first she looked confused, but then her face broke into a grin.

"Ahhh Hurley! Not so tight."

"Oh sorry." He apologized as he let her go and put her down.

Jin and Claire embraced and smiled at each other.

"Where've you been Claire? We searched and searched, and everybody was worried. A couple days ago Jack, Kate, Locke and.."

"Hurley." Claire cut him off. Hurley stopped and looked at her, waiting expectantly for her to say something.

"Is Aaron ok?" She asked nervously.

"He's great Claire. Better now that his mom is back!! Kate and Sun have been taking care of him."

"Good." She smiled at that. "I can't wait to see him. I missed him so much."

"Where've you been?" Hurley asked again, his curiosity was just too great at the moment.

"It's a long story. We better go back to…" Claire's voice decreased with each word and seemed to get drowsy as she trailed off.

"Claire?" Jin asked, concern written all over his face.

Claire's eyes suddenly rolled up in her head and she collapsed. Luckily, Jin caught her before she hit the sand.

"Claire!" Hurley looked worriedly at her face then to Jin's.

"We gotta get her to Jack," Hurley said as he helped Jin pick her up.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"We don't know how it happened. We went back to the cell and she was gone."

"She must have had help Ben. It's the only way."

Ben looked at the two men standing before him trying to plead their case. It was supposedly not their fault that Claire had escaped. He stared at them with a murderous look.

"So you're telling me, that someone in our camp helped Claire escape?" Ben asked looking at the men, daring them to answer.

One of them was brave enough and he spoke up.

"Yea Ben it had to be. That's how she escaped last time."

Ben glared at the man and before he had time to blink or react, Ben reached over for Tom's gun and shot the man. He didn't even make a sound as he fell to the ground and lay in a lifeless heap. The other man watched as his friend fell to the ground then looked back up at Ben with fear in his eyes and waited in terrified suspense to see what Ben's next move would be.

"Do _you_, have anything you would like to say, about _my_ daughter?" Ben challenged as he pointed the gun squarely at the Other's chest.

"No Ben." The Other shook his head vigorously. He said those two words so fast they sounded like one merged together.

"Good. Then I suggest you find the person responsible for Claire's escape."

The Other nodded and ran off quickly, stumbling as he went. Ben handed the gun back to Tom.

"Find her. And bring her back. If anyone gets in your way, shoot them. No exceptions."

Tom nodded as well and motioned to some other men to join him. Ben watched them go and decided that he needed to make sure things went according to plan. No more slip ups and mishaps. He was going to have to take charge of things that obviously could not be done unless he did them himself.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"JACK! JACK!" Hurley walked into camp screaming and calling for help as he cradled Claire along with Jin.

"Stop your hollerin Jabba, you're gonna wake every.."Sawyer trailed off then as he saw who they were carrying. "Holy…"

More survivors started to run towards them and all had looks of shock on their faces at who the two men held between them. Juliet got to them first, followed by Kate.

"What happened?" Juliet asked in a brusque tone.

"She ran out of the woods, then she was talking to us, and then she suddenly fainted." Hurley said. "Is she gonna be ok?"

"I don't know yet. Bring her over here." Juliet motioned for them to follow her, and led the way to a tent.

"She doesn't look good." Kate commented, positioning herself next to Claire and pushing Claire's hair off her face, which was covered in cuts and scrapes.

"Get her some water. She could be dehydrated."Juliet ordered.

"Ok." Jin ran off to get some, and returned in less than a minute.

Juliet checked her vitals and tried to wake her up.

"Claire? Claire can you hear me?" Juliet spoke forcefully but not harshly. There was no response from Claire.

Kate looked at Juliet worriedly and grabbed Claire's hand in hers.

"Come on Claire, wake up. You've got a beautiful baby boy who needs you." Kate tried. No response.

"Go get Jack." Juliet looked at Kate as she said this to let her know she was talking to her.

Kate hesitated for a second but nodded and took off in the direction of Jack's tent. As she jogged over there she thought to herself that it was strange that Jack hadn't come out when he heard the commotion. It was very unlike him as he was usually the first one on the scene. As she neared his tent her heart sped up and she began to get uneasy, so she halted jogging and walked up to his tent.

"Jack?" She called before she pulled back the tent flap. No answer.

Kate pulled it back and looked inside Jack's tent. He was lying on his makeshift bed on his back and it looked like he was sleeping. Kate approached him and knelt next to him to wake him. She gently shook him.

"Jack, hey wake up."

She shook him harder. This time she had one hand on his shoulder and one hand on his face, and she tapped it lightly.

"Jack. Wake up. JACK!" She tried a little louder. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and fear constricted in her throat. She was beginning to get a little scared now.

Then, suddenly he jolted awake, surprising her, but she quickly sighed in relief, putting a hand on her forehead as she did so. However, it didn't look like he was fully aware. His eyes were unfocused and he looked like he didn't know what was going on. Kate's eyebrows knitted in worry and concern. She moved her hands to cup his face on either side.

"Jack. Look at me. Hey are you ok?"

Jack's eyes darted around and finally focused on hers.

"Kate?" He asked in a groggy voice.

"Jack. What happened?" She moved one hand from his face to his hair and kept the other on his face.

He sat up and looked around trying to reorient himself. Kate dropped her hands as he did so and just looked at him with a questioning gaze. God he looked terrible. Her heart went out to him. She was no longer angry with him now that Claire was back. He somehow didn't seem to be the Jack she thought she knew right now though. He seemed like a different person, something was just……off. Jack shook his head his head as if trying to clear it. He ignored Kate's question and asked his own.

"What happened?"

"Claire's back." She said looking at him to see what his reaction would be.

It took awhile to register but then his head shot up.

"She's back? Is she ok?"

"She's lying down but she's unconscious. I came to get you. Juliet said she needed your help."

He nodded and stood, but almost lost his balance and swayed to one side. Kate tried to grab him to support him but he pushed her hands away. She felt hurt that he didn't want her to help him when he so obviously needed it. But she stayed her distance and held her hands up as if surrendering.

Jack walked out of the tent and made his way over to where Claire was. Kate walked behind him, watching him suspiciously and nervously, hoping he wouldn't fall over. He didn't seem ok to her. Something was definitely up with Jack and she was pretty sure Sawyer knew what it was.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Juliet watched as Jack walked toward them. He did not look good. Her mind drifted back to earlier when she had seen him hide the pill bottle. Was he taking those? He reached them and sat next to Juliet, his eyes roving over Claire and examining her.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I think she's dehydrated. So I gave her some water. She just needs to rest. But I wasn't sure so I called you."

Jack nodded.

"I think you're right." Jack said as he examined her, checking her pulse and breathing. "I'm going to clean her wounds. We don't want them to get infected." Jack said as he spied a really nasty one under her foot. "This one looks like it may need stitches."

Juliet nodded and went to get him the first aid kit, some water and a cloth. She handed them over to Jack and watched as he proceeded to clean her wounds. Kate watched from the sidelines, not wanting to get in the way. As Jack reached the wound under her foot, and started to stitch it his hand started to shake. Juliet eyed him suspiciously, and Jack tried to hide it by shaking his hand as if he had a cramp. Kate just looked confused.

Jack attempted to stitch it again and this time his hand shook uncontrollably. He clamped his other hand over that one to stop it. Kate realized then and there that something was seriously wrong with him.

"Jack?" Kate questioned.

"Jack. Let me do it." Juliet said and held her hand open for the needle.

"I'm fine. I can do it. I just need to loosen up more." Jack said as he tried again but he ended up dropping the needle. "Dammit!"

Kate was scared and she looked at Jack wondering what was going on. He had never been like this before. He had always been steady and strong, unwavering.

Juliet picked up the needle, but Jack snatched it away from her.

"I said I can do it!!!" He yelled at her stubbornly. Juliet looked at him blankly and was about to say something but Kate stooped next to him on the sand and placed her hands over his.

"Jack, your hands, they're shaking," Kate said with concern. She was very afraid for him right now. This shaking hand thing could not be good.

He looked up at her and into her eyes as she placed her hands on his. He was suddenly hit with a revelation. How had he gotten here? He was the irresponsible doctor whose hands were shaking while working on a patient? He had become his dad. He had become him in the worst way. Jack couldn't take it anymore, he had to get away. Jack stood up looking confused and horrified. Kate looked up at him, worry in her eyes and concern for the man that stood before her. He quickly walked away, not saying a word.

"Jack, where are you going?" Kate asked pleadingly. He was in no state to go off alone. She caught up to him and grabbed his forearm urging him to turn around. "Hey, talk to me."

He turned around to look at her sadly, and Kate's heart clenched in her chest when she saw the tears that were falling down his face.

"Hey Jack. It's ok." She cupped his face and looked up at him. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so vulnerable. She really wanted to kiss him all of a sudden. She just wanted to kiss away his pain and be there for him. Her gaze travelled to his lips, and her heart rate suddenly increased tenfold. Jack looked at her and his breath caught. He could hear his heart beating erratically in his chest. Being this close to her always made him feel this way. He made no move to kiss her however, even though he wanted to, his hands stayed limp at his sides. He had no energy to make a move.

Suddenly, her mouth claimed his, desperate and pleading. He was surprised at first but not sorry and he eventually kissed her back with twice as much passion, needing the comfort. It felt so good to kiss her again. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, while her hands went around his neck. Kate felt his tongue trying to enter her mouth and she gladly let him in. Right now she felt like the world was falling away from around them and all that existed was Jack, his amazing lips and body that was now pressed flush against hers. Kissing Jack had never felt this good, and she never wanted to stop. She felt her knees start to weaken and she was suddenly glad that his hands were firmly around her back and waist. She moaned against his mouth and used her tongue to play with his. She wound her hands up into his hair as the kiss deepened and seemed to last forever, but not long enough, as she felt Jack begin to pull away. They stared into each other's eyes for a couple seconds, both of them breathing fast and hard.

Jack suddenly averted his eyes and looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. He dropped his hands from around Kate's waist and back and she immediately felt a loss of warmth as he removed them. Her heart thudded in her chest as Jack reached up and removed her hands from around his neck.

"Jack..?" She questioned, puzzled at him pulling away, and acting so cold all of a sudden.

"You can't help me anymore Kate." He said sadly and walked away. "I don't deserve you."

Kate swallowed what felt like a tennis ball in her throat at Jack's comment. She felt the tears coming and cried softly as she watched Jack away from her. She was left feeling stunned as she watched him walk into the jungle while conflicting emotions tugged at her heart. She was really feeling so many things concerning Jack, she couldn't distinguish all of them, and it was too overwhelming. Anger and hurt was two of them, but mostly she didn't want to see him in so much pain. She wanted to go after him, and make him talk to her, make him open up to her, maybe kiss some sense into him. Tell him that he was wrong. That he did deserve her and it was she at times that felt like she was inadequate. But she didn't. For some reason, at that moment Kate stayed frozen in that particular spot.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jack wondered off into the jungle, feeling more broken than ever. Kate's heartbroken face welled up with tears made him feel ten times worse. He sat down on a tree stump and held his head in his hands wondering how things had gotten to be so messed up. Right now all he wanted to do was hurl himself off the top of a cliff and he bet, he bet, that he won't make a sound as he fell to his death. He felt empty inside, hollow. He had failed as a doctor, and had if it been a more serious procedure that he had been performing on Claire, he would have not been able to live with himself any longer, if he had injured her, or worse. He held his head in his hands and sobbed.

He thought he heard a twig snap behind him. He stood up and glanced around, looking to see if he saw anyone. Maybe Kate??

"Who's there?" He inquired. Silence greeted him. Guess there was no one there, he was just being paranoid.

"Hello Jack," said a man's voice from right behind him.


	12. Chapter 12 Attack

Chapter 12 – Attack

"Hey Freckles, you ok?" Sawyer asked as he approached Kate. He quickly took in her tear-streaked face and red rimmed eyes.

Kate sat on the dune of sand staring out at the ocean. She was still deep in thought about Jack and whether or not she had made the wrong choice in not going after him. When Sawyer approached her, she knew for certain that she wanted to be alone right now, so she didn't answer him as he spoke to her, instead she kept her gaze trained on the ocean, trying her best to ignore him.

"Hey Kate, what happened? Did the Doc hurt you?" He asked as he stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder.

At the contact, Kate reacted like she'd been burnt, and flinched under his touch. "Leave me alone James. I don't feel like talking."

"If he hurt you, I'll…" Sawyer wasn't allowed to finish.

"You'll what James? Because I don't need saving. Just leave me alone ok, I'm not in the mood." She spat out.

Sawyer reeled back, as if her words had physically pushed him. His expression turned darker, and it no longer wore the caring look from when he first approached her.

"Fine!" He said with distaste. "Have it your way then, but don't come running to me when the good ole Doc is being an ass again. You ain't getting any "comfort" from me like the last time you busted into my tent and threw yourself at me."

Kate quickly stood up and slapped Sawyer across his face, stunned that he would say something like that to her. Her palm stung, but she didn't show it as she stared at him waiting to see what his next move would be. Sawyer just kept his head to the side, however, no retort and no physical advance; instead he just turned and walked away. After a few feet he stopped, turned and looked right into her eyes.

"Oh right, musta slipped my mind. I came to tell ya that Claire woke up. Not that you'd be bothered, since all you're thinking about is that Jackass."

With that said he turned and walked away. Kate stared after him in shock. She couldn't believe that Sawyer had said those things to her, and her eyes started to brim with tears. She slowly made her way over to where Claire was, maybe seeing her reunited with Aaron would cheer up the gloomy mood that had seemed to settle upon her. She slowly made her way over to where Claire was resting, her mind still on Jack, but also thinking about what Sawyer had said to her, since when did he care about people other than himself.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hello Jack."

Jack snapped his head around as the man's voice spoke to him and found himself face to face with Mr. Friendly.

"What do you want?" Jack asked with menace in his voice. He knew this man would kill him if he had to, after all he had held Kate at gunpoint. He was suspicious about their motives, why were they back here? Jack was also upset that he had let them creep up and surprise him like that. _Stupid Jack, real stupid, _he scolded himself. Jack suddenly realized that he was defenseless. Earlier, he had walked away from camp without any gun on his person. He had been so drugged and intoxicated from that kiss with Kate, and let's not forget the drugs, that he hadn't thought to bring a weapon. He cursed silently to himself, as he quickly recognized that his situation was a grim one.

"Nice to see you again Jack."

"Cut the crap. What do you want?" Jack stared straight at Tom, his jaw set, determined.

"You stole something that belongs to us," Tom stated as if that were obvious.

Jack just stared at him with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Claire. She belongs to us now."

Jack laughed and bowed his head as he paced in one small area, trampling the grass as he did so.

"Are you people crazy! You kidnap Claire, and do God knows what to her, and she somehow belongs to _you_?"

"Yes Jack. As hard as that is too believe. Her purpose is not here, with the survivors. It's with us."

"Her _purpose_!" He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. Jack shook his head. "You're not taking Claire against her own will."

"And whose gonna stop us Jack? You?" Tom laughed, and stared at Jack, challenging him.

Jack clenched and unclenched the muscles in his jaw and didn't even realize his fists were curled into balls at his side. Suddenly, Jack rushed at Tom, but Tom knew it was coming, and brought the butt of his gun up to Jack's face as he charged.

Jack fell onto the ground, groaning in pain. Blood poured from his nose, and from what he felt, he figured he probably had a broken nose. Jack knew he had to get up to protect Claire, so he rose to his feet as Mr. Friendly began to chuckle.

"Coming back for more?" Tom asked questioningly.

Jack advanced on him more cautiously now, and when Tom swung his gun outward Jack held onto it and they both tasseled for ownership of the gun. Jack kneed Tom in the gut and he doubled over, and released his hold on the gun a little. Jack took advantage of this and brought the gun up to hit Tom in the face. Tom flew back and landed on the ground.

Jack stood over Tom holding the gun, but instead of looking worried, Tom chuckled once again, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"You didn't think I was going to let this be a fair fight did you?" Tom said as men emerged from the jungle all carrying guns, pointed at Jack.

Jack did not move the gun from where he had it trained on Tom; instead he grabbed Tom by his shirt and held the gun to his chest.

"Back off!" Jack shouted. "Or I'll shoot him!"

The guys didn't lower their guns, even after Jack threatened their leader.

"I'll do it!"

"No you won't Jack. That's what makes me the bad guy and you the good guy."

Jack cocked the gun again and pushed it against Tom's throat.

"You really want to test that claim today. Huh?" Jack asked, his voice sounding frenzied, "Cause I really think the lines may be blurred for me right now."

Tom's face registered a flicker of worry as he listened to Jack's rant. Jack did seem a little more reckless than usual, so he slowly gave an imperceptible nod to Jim, who was in his line of sight. Tom shifted a bit to the left and a shot rang out as Jack was flung backward.

"ARRGgggggg!" Jack groaned, rolling on the floor, clutching his shoulder. He pulled his hand away from the sticky substance and looked at the red color that stained his hands. Shit. This was bad, he thought as he began to see black, and felt a shooting pain that started in his shoulder, emanating out to his arm and chest.

"Jack, Jack, Jack," Tom said staring down at Jack, "What were you thinking?" Tom spoke to him as if he were a child. He turned to look at the other men around him.

"Let's go boys time to do what we came here to do." Tom stomped on Jack's stomach as he lay on the ground, and was satisfied when Jack yelled in pain. "Paybacks a bitch."

Jack turned his head and saw a blurred silhouette of Tom as he walked away into the jungle, before all he saw was darkness.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Was that a gunshot?" Juliet looked at Kate with worried eyes.

They both swiftly got up and ran to the jungle, where they thought the sound had originated. They saw Sayid and Locke running up to jungle as well. They all halted when they reached the edge of the jungle however, and no one advanced any further. They all stared at the trees and exchanged looks with one another.

"It could be a trap." Sayid stated.

"Where's Jack?" Locke asked looking around, noticing he was missing from the commotion. He was usually one of the first ones on the scene when something was wrong.

Jack. Kate suddenly remembered that Jack had gone off into the jungle hours ago. Alone. Did he have a weapon? She couldn't be sure. Her heart thudded in her chest thinking that he could be hurt, and she quickly took off into the jungle at a fast run.

"Kate wait!" Juliet called after her.

Kate either ignored her or couldn't hear her as she continued running and didn't show any signs of slowing.

"We'll go after her," Sayid said to Juliet, "You stay here." He quickly motioned to Locke to follow him and they took off running in the direction that they had seen Kate heading.

BR……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Jack!" Kate slowed to a jog, her eyes scanning the trees and foliage around her looking for Jack or a sign of movement.

"JACK!" Kate stopped and tried to track him. What was she doing earlier? Just running off into the jungle? She wasn't thinking clearly. She stooped to the ground and tried to get a feel for where Jack had gone.

She kept following his trail until she noticed something odd. More footprints were around the area but not following Jack. It's almost like they just happened to find him. Surprised him maybe? She searched the area, but no one was there. That's when she saw it. The dirt looked like it was a little darker and there could have been a scuffle? She couldn't be sure. So, she touched the darkened dirt and realized it was blood. Her heart sped up and she began to feel weak. _Please God, don't let this be Jack's_. She looked around searching for him or any movement.

"Jack!" She tried again, but just silence followed. "Jack, where are you?" She whispered to herself.

BR……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey Kate, glad we caught up to you." Locke said as they came up beside her. "Anything?"

Kate shook her head.

"There's blood here, someone was hurt, badly and…" she trailed off, "I couldn't find him. I couldn't find Jack."

Her eyes teared up and she glanced around the jungle worriedly. Sayid placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok. We'll find him."

"Let's get back to camp. We need to get supplies and guns if we're going after these people," Locke said logically.

"But Jack…he could be seriously hurt, and we could be losing precious time. We can't go back, we need to follow the trail and find him." Kate put in, upset that they were going back to camp.

"And what are you going to do when you find them, with no one to help you and no weapons? You're going to need ammo and help Kate. We need to go back to camp," he looked at her sympathetically, hoping she understood that what he was saying made sense, and he could see how much she wanted to find Jack.

Kate nodded reluctantly after a few seconds and proceeded to walk back to camp. She only hoped that Jack didn't suffer because of it.

BR……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The camp was in shambles when they got back, some tents were in disarray and most people seemed to be unconscious or trying to wake others. What the hell? They hadn't been gone that long, had they? Kate ran up to Sun and Jin who were the closest.

"What happened?" She asked Sun, who was nursing a wound on her forehead.

"Others." Jin replied.

Kate's eyes widened in shock as she uttered one word…

"Claire."

She ran toward the tent where Claire had been but she was gone. Aaron was gone too and the crib was overturned onto its side. Kate put her hands on her head in frustration. Could things get any worse? she thought to herself, as she felt herself losing control. Then she spied Sawyer walking to her, looking like he had the living daylights kicked out of him. She glanced in his direction and then quickly averted her gaze; she was still upset about earlier. Sawyer approached her hesitantly.

"Well, ya missed the party Freckles."

When she didn't reply he tried again in a softer apologetic voice.

"Look I'm sorry bout what I said earlier. I was outta line Freckles, and I didn't mean it."

"Its ok James," she looked up at him and smiled softly. "We have other things to worry about." He looked at her quizzically.

"Sawyer, they took them. Claire and Aaron," she watched as his expression darkened. "I think…I think they may have taken Jack too." She stumbled over the last part, unable to believe it could be true.

"The Doc? What would they want with that Jackass?"

Sawyer hope that would make her smile, but Kate frowned instead.

"James," She scolded him.

"Aah..Sorry, just tryin' to make light of a grim situation s'all."

"I think Jack's hurt, I found blood on the trail" Kate said, her voice wavering, and her eyes not meeting Sawyer's anymore.

He stared at her and nodded. Those bastards had taken Claire again, and Aaron too. This was ridiculous now. _Who did they think they were?_

"Allright then," Sawyer said with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Let's go get our people back. Doc included." He winked at her and walked toward his tent to get his stuff. This was not going to be an easy task, but hell, he loved a good challenge.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jack drifted in and out of consciousness as he felt someone dragging him. He grunted as he was jolted and pain shot through his shoulder. He tried to open his eyes to see where he was and who was dragging him, but it was a huge effort. He decided to just go with the flow and see what happened to him, he was too weak to try anything anyway, and he felt numb. Emotionally or physically, he couldn't tell. He decided to let the darkness envelop him, even if he never returned.

BR……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Kate, Sawyer, Locke and Sayid trudged through the jungle. Kate and Locke appeared to be tracking where Jack may have gone, but the trail wasn't very good. It's almost as if someone had tried to cover it. Kate knelt down on the trail and noticed the drops of blood that were barely discernable. She kept her emotions in check, as she told herself that this didn't have to be Jack's blood. They all assumed that by following this trail, it would lead them to the three missing persons, but suddenly the trail broke apart into two.

"Do you think one's a dummy trail?" Locke asked the party.

"Maybe, but we can't be sure. Let's split up. Sawyer and myself, and John, you go with Sayid," Kate said, hoping to make a decision quickly. Jack could be losing more than blood the longer they took to find him.

Everyone nodded their agreement and took off on their respective trails.

"It's gonna be ok Freckles. We'll find em."

"Thanks James." She stopped and smiled at him, glad to have him with her, even though an hour ago she couldn't stand to be around him. They had a weird relationship, that much was evident.

"Why do ya do that?" Sawyer questioned.

"Do what?" Kate asked as she continued walking.

"Call me James sometimes and Sawyer the others?"

Kate chuckled and turned to look at him.

"I have no idea." She said honestly.

He smiled and looked into her green eyes. They both stared at each other, smiling foolishly, and Sawyer moved closer as he looked at her lips. Kate realized what he was going to do as he cupped her face with one palm and leaned in, but Kate bowed her head at the last second.

"I'm sorry James, but I can't."

He nodded.

"It's the Doc, isn't it?"

She looked away and said with one word that sealed the fate of Sawyer and Kate's relationship status.

"Yes."

He nodded and stepped away from her. He didn't walk ten paces before he was suddenly swept off his feet as a net strung him up into the air. Kate quickly dove to the side and couldn't help but remember the time she had been caught in a similar net with Jack. _God she hoped he was alright. _

"Hey Freckles, do you wanna get me down from here?" Sawyer complained.

She was snapped out of her reverie by his voice and chuckled as she made her way over to where the rope was tied. She was about to start cutting through it when a gun was placed on her temple.

"Give me you knife." Someone said in a French accent.

Rousseau.

She motioned for Kate's other weapons and then cut Sawyer down in one fell swoop. He grunted as he hit the ground.

"Yours too." She said to Sawyer.

"Fat chance in he..."

"Sawyer! Just give it to her," Kate yelled at him.

"Look lady, we're lookin for our friends, so we're gonna need as much ammo as possible. I ain't givin you my gun," Sawyer said menacingly.

Rousseau cocked the gun and pressed it harder against Kate's temple.

"Don't play games, unless you want your friend to die," She stated.

Sawyer looked at Kate whose expression was pleading with him to drop it. He reluctantly dropped his gun to the floor and then kicked it over to Rousseau's feet.

"Happy?" He said sarcastically.

"I have one of your friends." She stated simply as if she were giving directions. She lowered the gun from Kate's head and picked up their discarded weapons.

Kate's eyes opened wide and she turned to face Rousseau. Before she could ask who, Rousseau spoke again.

"The doctor."

Kate's heart skipped a beat.

"Jack? Is he ok? Is he hurt?" She rushed out, afraid to hear the answer but at the same time needing it.

"He has been shot."

Kate's eyes started to water and she stared ahead into space. Her world froze in that moment and she felt like she was underwater, as the sounds around her became muffled. Was Sawyer talking to her?

"Kate! Kate!" Sawyer was yelling, and now shaking her. "Come on, we're gonna follow the French Lady and she can take us to Jacko." Saywer grabbed her arm gently and led her along with them.

In about 10 minutes they were at Rousseau's humble abode and Kate rushed to go inside. She found Jack lying on a bed, looking pale and drawn. Blood was caked over his face especially around his cheeks and nose. His nose was also turning a black and blue color and it looked swollen. What really grabbed Kate's attention was the bandage on his shoulder. It was red, and soaked in blood. Was he losing too much blood? She didn't know, but he did look pale.

"Jack?" She said tearfully, "If you can hear me, you need to open your eyes. Look at me." She grabbed his hand which was cold to the touch. She was almost afraid to touch him too much, but she placed her other hand over his, and rubbed them together, hoping to warm his hands up. He appeared to be breathing so she hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked.

"Luckily the bullet went straight through, and I stopped most of the bleeding. I stitched him the best way I could." Rousseau said from behind Kate. "He should be fine."

"Did you do this to him?" Kate said accusingly, but Rousseau had already walked away.

Kate didn't want to hold onto what the French woman had said just yet. She didn't fail to notice that Rousseau had said _should be_ and not _will be_ fine. She had to see it for herself. Jack had to open his eyes again.

"Hey Jack," She passed her hand through his hair and it wondered down to his face where she caressed his cheek. "It's me Kate. I'm here. Come on, Jack. I know you're strong. Please, don't leave me."

She bent down to kiss his lips, waiting to see if this would have an effect on him. He didn't respond, and she couldn't stop the tears that fell onto his chest. She quickly wiped her eyes and lay next to him, hugging him tight to her, praying that he would wake up.

BR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was dark out as Jack's eyes fluttered open. It took him awhile to realize that his eyes were open as darkness surrounded him. Then he felt someone by his side and looked down. Kate was snuggled up against him, he tried to move, but a shooting pain pulsated from his shoulder. He grunted and decided on saying her name instead.

"Kate?" he said groggily.

She stirred and looked up at him, her green eyes heavy with sleep, and then they suddenly registered that he was awake.

"Jack!" She hugged him closer, and he grunted as the force of her hug made his wound hurt. "Ow sorry," she apologized.

"It's ok."

She propped up on her elbow, resting her head in her palm, and gazed at him appreciatively.

"I thought I'd lost you," She whispered.

"You didn't. I'm right here, and I'm fine," His voice shook on the last few words and he put his hand up to her cheek. Then, he tried to sit up.

Kate looked worried and tried to help him, then decided against it and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jack, maybe you shouldn't…"

"I'm fine Kate. Really."

He looked into her eyes, and he knew she didn't believe him. She let him get up anyway, knowing that he was stubborn and the only way to get him to rest was with sleeping pills.

Jack began to get to his feet, and leant on Kate for support. She had his hand around his waist and he draped his arm across her shoulder. As they walked outside, they saw Sawyer sitting around a fire with Rousseau.

"Well look who's awake again. Had a good nap there Sleepin' Beauty?"

Jack ignored Sawyer and instead directed his gaze at Rousseau.

"Thank you," He said.

She simply nodded, then said there was something she had to do and walked off into the jungle.

"Well that was weird," Sawyer stated. "So Jacko, did Freckles catch you up on the island happenings?"

Kate shot daggers at Sawyer with her eyes.

"I don't think now is a good time…"She started but Sawyer didn't let her finish.

"Oh I think now is as a good a time as any," Sawyer said as he smiled mischievously.

"Just tell me," Jack stated.

There was a long silence, then Kate finally spoke.

"The Others, they came into the camp. They took Claire and Aaron," She let out a winded breath and looked at Jack and saw his expression change from one of fear to one of anger.

"How could I forget," Jack said, almost as if he were scolding himself. "They cornered me on the way to the beach. They said they were after Claire. That she didn't belong with us."

"What?" Kate was stunned.

"It made no sense to me too," Jack stated as he stood up and swayed a little.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Kate asked, although she already knew the answer, which was why she hadn't wanted to tell Jack anything about Claire and Aaron. Damn Sawyer.

"We have to find her, and Aaron. I won't let those people win. I won't let them keep her prisoner again."

"Jack, I'm all for finding Claire, but remember what happened last time. Plus you're injured, you got shot! You can't go traipsing off into the jungle right now."

"Kate look at me, I'm fine…"

"I AM looking at you Jack, and you're not fine! You're the furthest thing from it!" She couldn't believe he was being so stubborn, he almost died and he wanted to go into the jungle now? She wouldn't stand for it, she couldn't lose him.

"Ok. Everybody hold their horses," Sawyer stepped between them. "Doc, you just got shot, and when you collapse in the jungle cause you ain't fully back to normal, I'm the one that's gonna have to carry your heavy, unconscious ass back to camp. That ain't happening, so listen to Freckles, and get some damn rest, will ya."

Jack gave Sawyer a stone cold stare and seemed to be contemplating if to oppose him or listen to what he was saying. He felt Kate's hand on his arm.

"Jack," Kate pleaded. "Locke and Sayid are already searching for Claire and Aaron." He looked into her eyes and knew his decision had been made. He would wait until morning, and then, he was getting them back, if it's the last thing he did.


	13. Chapter 13 Dangerous Ground

Once again I don't own Lost or its wonderful characters. Here's the next chapter, enjoy, and I am on the way to closing up this story soon. Not sure how many more chapters it might take, we'll just see how it goes.

Chapter 13 – Dangerous Ground

"What's going on? Where are you taking me?" Her voice was strained as she struggled against her captors. "Where's my baby? Where's Aaron?"

She was not given an answer but was continually hauled through the jungle until they got to a camp site. There were the remnants of a fire around, smoldering in the early morning light. Tents were randomly constructed around the camp site, and some people stared out from them as she was dragged forward. Claire glanced around at all the people in dirty ripped clothing, hanging off of them. They looked like they had lived on the island for awhile, these Others_. What type of people would kidnap a baby_? She thought to herself.

A man approached Claire, his stride one of surety and confidence. He seemed small, but for some reason he gave off an aura which made her very wary of him.

"Claire. So nice to see you again," he greeted her as if she was a close friend that had voluntarily come to visit him.

"Who are you? And what have you done with my baby?" She asked vehemently.

"Your baby's fine." He looked at her for a few seconds before continuing. "I have an offer for you Claire. One that I think you won't be able to refuse."

Claire just started at him incredulously. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear what you have to say. I just want my baby."

"If you want your baby Claire, you will need to take this offer, which is why; I know you won't be able to refuse it."

Ben smiled evilly, and Claire's eyes opened in shock and fear, dreading what he had to say next.

BR…

Kate opened her eyes and sat up, looking around trying to orient herself to her surroundings. She blinked several times, as the sunlight invaded her eyes and spied Sawyer sleeping by the fire not too far from where she sat. She spun her head around scanning the area. Her heart leapt in her chest when she didn't find who she was looking for.

"Jack," she called out. She stood up and glanced in the direction of the jungle, her eyes searching for some movement. "Jack!"

"Would you stop your hollering Freckles."

Kate ignored Sawyer and started toward the jungle, picking up her bag on the way.

"Where're you goin' now?" Sawyer pushed himself up from the ground and stood slowly, yawning as he did so.

"I think Jack went off looking for Claire and Aaron by himself while we were asleep." She explained as she pulled the straps over her shoulders.

"That Jackass can't be serious." Sawyer grumbled as he angrily grabbed his bag and gun that was leaning against the tree. "His hero complex is unbelievable."

Kate frowned at him and was startled by the sound of something in the jungle. She quickly whirled around drawing her gun, and Sawyer pointed his in the same direction as well.

"Woah," Jack held up his hands in surrender as he emerged from the jungle.

"Jack," Kate said in relief as she saw him. "Where were you, didn't you hear me calling?"

Jack shook his head and picked up a water bottle and began to drink from it.

"Nope, sorry, I didn't hear you." He walked past her, and sat down on a log.

Kate knit her eyebrows in confusion, but in the end she decided to just shrug it off. At least he wasn't off trying to find Claire and Aaron by himself. Knowing Jack he wouldn't have been able to pick up a trail anyway, he would have walked in circles until Kate found him.

"We should get going," Jack looked at the two of them before checking his gun to make sure that he had sufficient ammo.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kate knelt next to him and touched his arm in concern.

"Kate," he sighed, "I'm fine."

Kate gave him a small smile, but her eyes were filled with worry.

"Can you track them?" Jack asked her, as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

"I can try," She answered hesitantly.

He nodded and then stood and turned to leave. "Ok, let's go then."

BR…

Locke sharpened his knife before putting it into the holster at his side.

"You sure came prepared with a lot of knives," Sayid remarked.

Locke smiled and looked up at Sayid.

"Well you can never be too prepared, or have too many knives." Locke stood up and grabbed his pack. "We should get going, hopefully I can pick up the trail again."

Sayid nodded. "Do you think we'll be able to find them today?"

"I hope so," Locke said as he glanced at the trees, and then up at the sky.

"What, what is it?" Sayid glanced around the jungle nervously and then up to the sky where Locke was staring.

"It's about to rain in a minute, give or take a few seconds."

Sayid stared at him like he was crazy.

"How could you possibly know that?" he said skeptically.

Locke just smiled and put out his hands as the rain started to fall and drenched them both. Sayid just stared in awe and disbelief at the mysterious man before him.

Just then, a shot rang out and pinged off the tree by Sayid's head. Sayid drew his gun and ducked as Locke did the same. They fired a couple shots off into the jungle but shots continued to fly all around them. Sayid tried to glance around and figure out where the shooter or shooters were. For some reason he couldn't determine where it was coming from. It almost seemed as if it came from all around them. They decidedly sprinted off to the right, hoping to escape their shooters.

BR…..

"Did you hear that?" Jack asked, breathing heavily. The rain poured down all around them and several drops fell from Jack's lashes as he looked at Kate and she nodded her head.

Jack turned and sprinted in the direction of the shots. Kate and Sawyer closely followed at his heels, their guns drawn. They continued to run, slipping and stumbling every now and then against the wet ground. It was extremely muddy and was becoming very hard to sprint in. Jack's shoulder was throbbing as he willed himself to run faster and forced himself to use his arms to propel himself forward.

"Jack wait!" Kate called out from behind him. Jack stopped and turned to her.

Sawyer came to a halt behind her. "What's the matter Freckles?"

"I think we're close, we might want to slow down," she pointed to the ground at the footprints around her in the mud. "Someone passed through here. A lot of people actually."

Jack nodded. "Ok, lead the way," he held out his hand, gesturing for her to go in front of him.

Kate looked at him and saw that he was serious so she stepped forward, just as more gunshots rang out. Jack instinctively reached over to shield Kate with his body, but someone crashed into him before he could do so, throwing him to the ground. Jack struggled with the man on top of him, figuring he was being attacked, and got ready to deliver a punch.

"Jack, it's me," Sayid said trying to hold Jack's hand so he wouldn't receive any blows from him.

Jack sighed and sat up, as Sayid got off him. Jack was relieved that they were not one of the Others as he had originally thought.

"Good to see you alive Jack," Locke said as he offered Jack his hand to help him up. Kate allowed her heart rate to return to normal and placed her gun back into the waistband of her pants.

"Was someone shooting at you?" Kate asked.

"Yes, someone opened fire on us," Sayid said, "We weren't able to see who it was".

"Maybe we're close," Jack was trying to get his breathing back to normal, so he sounded winded as he spoke. "It could have been the Others." His shoulder was killing him, but he had to think about Claire first. He took a quick glance at it and felt around the bandages. It could be infected but he didn't have time to make sure of that right now.

"How's your shoulder?" Kate saw him feeling his wound and the pain on his face. He was not doing fine, but she knew he would never say otherwise, and he would never rest, unless forced to.

"It's ok, we should continue…"

"I think the trail may have been washed away Jack," Locke grimly stated, cutting Jack off. "We may have been close, but we don't know what direction to go from here." Locke had his hands on his hips, as he looked at Jack.

Jack stared back at Locke, his face set, ready to argue, and his eyes shot daggers in Locke's direction.

"Locke's right," Kate jumped in, hoping to calm the storm before it started. "As much as I want to find Claire, the trail's gone Jack. We have nothing to follow anymore." She shook her head trying to come to terms with the fact herself that they may have to turn back.

Jack turned around hiding his face from the group and walked a few paces away from them. He was obviously upset and frustrated, Kate could see it in his shoulders, and how tense they looked. He ran his hands over his hair, and turned around, facing them once again.

"I'm not going back to camp, until I get Claire and Aaron back, even if I have to go alone," He said determined.

"Jack," Kate pleaded, "You can't go by yourself."

They all stood around, deciding what to do. "It's a fool's errand Jack," Locke spoke up.

Jack clenched his teeth and stepped up to Locke so that he was right in his face. Sayid, Sawyer and Kate, all stepped forward too, knowing that this could escalate into a fight that they might need to stop.

"Finding Claire, is not a fool's errand John." Jack said vehemently, waiting to see if Locke opposed him.

"Right now, it is Jack." Locke stated coolly returning Jack's stare.

"Listen to the man, Jack," a voice said from behind them. They all whipped around drawing their guns, except for Jack.

"You." Jack strutted up to him, but was stopped in his tracks as a gun was pointed at his chest.

"Uh uh," Tom said, "don't come any closer Jack unless you want this one in your heart instead of your shoulder."

Jack flinched at Tom's words, and halted in his tracks. "There are more of us than there are of you this time," Jack said.

"Are you sure of that Jack?" Tom asked.

Jack quickly drew his gun and pointed it at Tom. "You lower your weapon, or _I will_ shoot you," Jack said menacingly.

Tom and Jack stood there, in a face off, no one making a move to lower their gun. Kate began to get nervous, and her eyes flickered back and forth between the two men. She kept her finger close to the trigger, her gun aimed at Tom. She would shoot him if she had too, without even thinking about it, especially since he had his gun trained on Jack. She stood her ground, concentrating on Tom's movements, especially his grip on his gun.

Jack released the safety on the gun, and stared Tom down, almost wanting him to make a move, to try something.

Tom slowly lowered his weapon however and Jack shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Now put it on the ground," Jack ordered.

Tom slowly lowered his weapon to the ground. "You sure you wanna do this Jack?"

"I'm getting tired of your questions," Jack walked up to Tom and punched him in his face.

Suddenly shots rang out, and Sayid was flung to the ground.

"Sayid!" Kate yelled, rushing to his side.

Jack ducked and looked around as he heard the shot and saw Sayid on the ground with Kate at his side. Suddenly Jack received a punch to the shoulder and screamed in agony, as he collapsed to the floor. Tom stood over him and dug his boot into Jack's shoulder wound, causing blood to ooze out from the bandages. Jack groaned in pain and put his hands on Tom's foot trying to raise it and relieve some pressure.

Tom bent lower to talk to Jack. "Now you listen to me Jack. Cause I'm only going to say this once," he ground his boot harder into Jack's wound. Jack grunted and tried to hold in his scream. "Don't come after Claire, or her baby, or I will kill you, but not before I kill everyone you care about, and make you watch."

Jack felt himself losing consciousness, barely hearing the shots around him, and wondering if everyone was okay. Kate came to the forefront of his mind, and he felt like a failure, that he wasn't able to protect her. He suddenly realized the pressure was gone from his wound. Tom had been tackled off of him and Jack found himself fighting not to lose consciousness. He slowly pulled himself to his feet and saw Sawyer and Tom tousling on the ground, not too far from him.

He looked around for Kate, worried that something may have happened to her. He saw her kneeling on the ground next to Sayid, trying to stem the blood flowing from a wound in his side. Kate appeared to be unharmed and he sighed in relief.

"Jack!" Kate called to him.

Jack stumbled over to where Sayid was on the ground, trying to get his eyes to focus properly so he could help Sayid. "I got it." He put his hands onto the wound, and spared a glance at Kate who looked terrified. "Are you ok?" she nodded in response. "I need a cloth or something to stop the blood flow." He glanced up at her, "Give me your shirt," he said slipping into doctor mode.

Kate took it off and handed it to him, where he quickly pushed it up against the wound.

"Is he going to be ok?" Kate looked at Sayid worriedly.

"I think so, the bullet went straight through. I just need to stitch it up."

Sawyer ambled up then and knelt on the floor next to them. "Son of a bitch got away from me."

"Sawyer do you have any alcohol on you?" Jack asked urgently as he turned to look at Sawyer.

"Sorry Doc, but I drank the last of it a while back," Sawyer actually sounded apologetic, Kate thought to herself.

Kate took Sayid's hand in hers in what she thought would be a comforting gesture, whether it was for her or Sayid she wasn't really sure.

"Sawyer, I need you to get me my bag," Jack's tone implied the urgency as he continued to apply pressure to Sayid's wound.

Sayid was drifting in and out of consciousness, so Jack thought he should stitch him up and stem the flow of blood as soon as he possibly could. Sawyer returned with Jack's bag and plopped it down on the floor next to them.

"There ya go Doc."

"Thanks Sawyer," Jack looked up at Kate. "Kate I need you to hold this here, on the wound."

Kate nodded and moved to take Jack's place. Jack searched in his bag and pulled out a needle and some thread. He then proceeded to stitch Sayid's wound, hoping it wouldn't get infected because he wasn't able to sterilize it. When Jack was almost done, Sawyer suddenly spoke up.

"Where the hell is Locke?" he questioned, looking around.

Jack and Kate both looked up at the same time, now noticing that Locke was no where around them.

"Locke?" Jack called out. He tried again, but there was still no answer. Kate looked at him with a mixture of concern and confusion in her eyes.

"What do you think happened to him?" Kate asked hesitantly.

Jack shook his head noncommittally, "I can't be worried about Locke right now. I need to finish stitching up Sayid's wound."

"I can go look for him," Sawyer spoke up as he looked at the both of them.

"James, you are not going to go out there," Kate looked at him with concern.

"You telling me what to do Freckles?" He asked with a slight smirk.

"We don't know who's out there, or how many people. You don't stand a chance by yourself if you come up against them."

"I can handle them." He cocked his gun to punctuate his point.

"Oh like you handled them before…"Kate protested adamantly.

"Hey! Would you two just stop it!" Jack yelled at them, bringing the start of the argument to a halt. He finished stitching up Sayid's wound. "We need to stick together, and we need to get Sayid back to camp."

"Well Doc, you can do that yourself. But me, I think I'm gonna keep this little search going, see where it takes me."

"Sawyer, you aren't making any sense," Kate stood up in frustration and glared at him.

"Oh yea? Doc ain't the only one around here who can be noble," He scowled, "Or at least in your eyes," he added silently. "If you don't want me to keep the search going Freckles, especially by myself, why don't you join me? There's plenty room for one more." He said flirtatiously and added a smile for extra effect, showing off his dimples.

"Sawyer, I'm not going anywhere with you. Especially not somewhere that's going to get you killed. Now would you listen to me." Kate took this as her one last chance to convince him otherwise. This idea that he got in his head was reckless and she didn't understand where this was coming from all of a sudden. "We need your help to carry Sayid back to camp, if we get attacked again, we're going to need you." She walked closer to him and looked into his green eyes, "Please Sawyer."

Jack glanced at Kate as she said the last sentence. It almost sounded like the reason that Kate wanted Sawyer to stay was more than just to help protect them on their way back to camp. It almost sounded like she needed him, and wanted him in more than just a platonic sense. Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Kate's words to Sawyer, and he directed his eyes to Sawyer's face to gauge his reaction. Sawyer's expression no longer wore a determined look, but it seemed as if he was giving into Kate's wishes.

"Alright Freckles, have it your way." Sawyer flashed another smile at her and put his gun back down to lean against a tree.

"Thank you." She returned his smile, happy that she had convinced him.

"We should get back to camp," Jack said in a low voice. Kate looked at Jack with narrowed eyes at his sudden change in tone, and for some reason she couldn't fathom why he wouldn't look directly at her.

He started to pick Sayid up on the side of his uninjured shoulder, and faltered as he tried to stand when a searing pain shot from his shoulder, out to his arm, and sent spasms of pain into his chest.

"Damn," he grunted, breathing heavily as he lowered Sayid to the ground again, grasping his shoulder.

"Jack!" Kate rushed to his side, immediately concerned for him. "Your shoulder, you're bleeding."

Jack hadn't even noticed that blood had been running down his arm as he had been so concerned with Sayid, and making sure that he lived. The wound must have been reopened when Tom stomped on it. Jack cursed in his head and told himself that he would have to mask the pain for now, until they got back to camp. Juliet could take a look at it, because he couldn't do it with one hand, and the pain was almost unbearable at certain times. Jack suspected that the wound had indeed become infected and he would need antibiotics if he wanted to fix his deteriorating condition.

"I'm ok Kate," Jack brushed her off, and made to stand with Sayid again, holding his weight against him differently this time.

"Jack…"Kate sounded hurt that he didn't want her help. She looked at him for a few seconds, not knowing if to push the issue or not. "Let me help you with Sayid," she finally said.

Kate walked around and held Sayid up by his other side so that they were both supporting his weight between them. Sawyer eyed Jack, and looked like he wanted to say something.

"Doc, maybe you should let me carry him," Sawyer tried, hoping that Jack would agree. "You don't look so good."

"I got him Sawyer. I'm good." Jack stated, in a tone that said it wasn't up for discussion. "You can lead the way back to camp."

"Fine Doc. Have it your way." Sawyer picked up his gun and started to head back in the direction of their camp.

BR…

"Claire, believe it or not, but we need you here. You _and_ Aaron."

"I don't want to stay here," Claire protested.

"Unless you want Aaron to die, then you will be staying here." Ben stated and held Claire's gaze waiting to see how she reacted.

"Di…Die? What do you mean? What did you do to him!" she screamed at him and reached out to attack him, but was held back by two of the Others.

"We didn't do anything to him Claire. We're the good guys." Ben looked at her offended.

Claire scoffed at his words. "What do you want?"

"I already told you what I want. Your baby is special, and we need to keep him here."

"Special? What do you mean? And why will he die?" Claire sounded scared now, and almost pleaded with Ben to give her an answer to her questions.

"When we ran tests on you and Aaron, we found an anomaly, so to speak." Claire wore a confused expression on her face. "I see you're confused, let me see if I can put it into simpler words for you." Ben looked Claire right into her eyes as he said the next couple sentences. "Aaron needs to live on this island, raised by you and us, otherwise he will die. He needs a treatment that only we can give him. His _differences_ make him weak and strong at the same time. I'm sorry Claire, but this is your only option."

Claire was stunned into silence. Then after a pregnant pause, she spoke softly.

"A treatment? I don't understand. What's wrong with him?" Claire almost broke down, terrified to know that something was wrong with her son that could kill him.

"It's something unheard of. All you need to know is this is a consequence of him being born on this island. You should have died, and so should he, but I think Jacob wants you for a specific purpose. Now you can't leave this island, you have to stay, and live, with us."

BR…

Jack walked along with Sayid's arm over his shoulder. He was exhausted, but they were almost back to the beach, so he didn't want to rest and waste precious time. As they continued walking, Jack would see Kate glance in his direction every couple minutes, her expression one of worry. Kate knew that Jack was not okay, and that he tended to downplay his injuries. From his pale complexion and his labored breathing that got worse with every step that they took, Kate knew that Jack was torturing himself so that they could get Sayid back to camp.

"We should rest for a bit," Kate spoke up. Maybe if it seemed like her idea, Jack wouldn't oppose it. She was wrong.

"No," he said breathily, "We should keep moving, we're almost there."

"Jack…" Kate said pleadingly. Jack was sweating profusely and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Doc, Kate is right," Sawyer turned around and saw how tired Jack looked too. He was surprised the man was still up and moving.

Jack shook his head, disagreeing with both of them. Kate stepped out from holding Sayid, leaving Jack with suddenly more weight than his shoulder and body could handle.

"Ahhh!" He grunted out as he and Sayid fell to the ground.

Sawyer reacted quickly and caught Sayid before he hit the ground. Kate tried to do the same for Jack, but wasn't as successful. She tried to grab onto him and prevent him from falling but she fell to the ground as well under his weight.

"Jack!" She knelt next to him as he winced and grabbed his shoulder. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?" She scolded him.

Jack chuckled and stopped as that motion irritated his shoulder. He didn't reply, and instead stared up at Kate who had a hand behind his head and was looking at him with those green eyes of hers.

"Sorry, I thought I could make it," Jack's eyes fluttered close as he said that.

Kate grew frantic at his words, which sounded so final. Her heat beat rapidly in her chest, at the thought of him possibly dying. _No_ _Kate don't think like that_, she scolded herself.

"Jack? Jack? Hey, open your eyes," She shook him and slapped his face gently, hoping to get him to respond. When he still lay motionless in her arms she flew into panic mode and her eyes started to brim with tears. He was still breathing, so that was a good sign.

"Sawyer…?" She looked up to the Southerner hoping he would know what to do, her eyes glistening.

"Dammit!" Sawyer exclaimed and he put Sayid down on the floor. "We're close to the beach, I can high tail it back there and get Juliet. Sit tight Freckles."

Kate nodded and looked back to Jack laying there on the floor. He looked so pale; she knew she should have convinced him to rest. Why hadn't she tried harder? Now he had run himself down so much, his health was in a precarious position. Sawyer took off into the jungle sprinting through the trees. Kate watched him go for a few seconds, as she held Jack against her. She suddenly felt very alone, surrounded by Sayid and Jack who were both unconscious. She stroked Jack's face and murmured his name softly. The jungle itself suddenly felt very still and quiet, _a little too quiet_, Kate thought to herself.

Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the jungle. The noise began to get closer and closer to her as her eyes darted around frantically in fear, searching for where the monster might emerge.


	14. Chapter 14 Eclipse

WOW! It's been awhile. Sorry that I took soooooo long, but I had a really hard time writing this chapter for some reason. It took me a long time to get ideas, and I kept getting stumped whenever I started writing. Finally I got it done though, and hopefully the next update isn't this long. Hope you guys like this chapter. Lastly, thanks for all the people who reviewed the last chapter and those who are reading.

Disclaimer: Don't own LOST or the characters.

Chapter 14 – Is There Hope?

"Juliet!" Sawyer ran yelling into camp. "Juliet!" He yelled again running down the beach. His eyes searched frantically for the blond woman, but she was nowhere in sight.

"James?" Juliet emerged from a tent. "What's wrong?" she asked as she walked up to him.

"It's the Doc. He needs your help." He said frantically.

At hearing that Jack was injured Juliet's heart started to thud loudly in her chest, and she instantly became alert. She hastily ran to get medical supplies while Sawyer waited impatiently on her until she got what she needed. A few seconds later Juliet came out from the tent and jogged over to where Sawyer stood, looking anxious, as he checked his gun and shifted his weight.

"Have all you need there blondie?" Sawyer questioned still breathing heavily from the fast paced sprint that he had done to get to the beach. He knew Freckles would have never forgiven him if he had been too slow in getting help for Jack, so he had really pushed himself, his muscles aching as he ran at full speed. What really hurt more than any muscle ache though was that she had chosen Jack, but he honestly thought that his chances if any remained at all, were slim. He was trying to get on her good side though, helping her whenever she needed him, maybe she would come around.

"Yea. Let's go." Juliet answered.

Sawyer nodded in response and led the way to where he had left Kate and the two men in the jungle.

Suddenly a loud roar was heard coming from the jungle and Sawyer and Juliet exchanged knowing glances, both of their faces showing terror. It was a sound they recognized right before trees crumbled and shook around them and they sprinted for their lives.

"Kate." Sawyer stated before he ran off into the jungle.

BR…

As the sound of the monster resonated through the jungle, Kate looked around frantically, and held Jack closer to her. _Oh no! This couldn't be happening now!_ She thought to herself. She couldn't run and leave the two men here, especially not Jack; no way was she leaving him behind. She glanced up nervously, her veins filled with dread, fearing what might emerge from the jungle at any moment. She saw the trees moving off to her right and gulped nervously. She didn't know what to do to protect them and herself, if she could even do anything. She did know however, that she wasn't going to run and leave anyone behind and selfishly save herself.

Live together, die alone, repeated like a mantra in her head. So she did the next best thing and the only thing she could think of at the moment.

"One…" she began shakily, she took a deep breath and continued. "Two."

Suddenly, Sawyer and Juliet broke through the foliage of trees in front of her. She sighed in relief, never had she ever been so happy to see Sawyer in her life.

"Sawyer!" She yelled in relief, her heart rate calming just a little, but it was still thumping violently in her ears.

"Kate, come on!" He grabbed her arm and picked her up. "We gotta get outta here."

"I'm not leaving Jack," She told him, pulling her hand out of his grasp, looking at him incredulously.

"I knew you would say that," He grumbled. "I got him Freckles." He bent and picked Jack up and awkwardly placed him over his shoulder, bending under the Doctor's weight.

Kate helped Juliet grab Sayid and they started in the direction of the beach going as fast as they could, with the weight they carried, they won't getting anywhere fast. As Kate looked ahead at Sawyer holding Jack, she suddenly realized that there weren't any sounds coming from the jungle anymore. It had become eerily still again, and she glanced at Juliet, knowing from the look on her face that she had just come to the same realization.

The beach eventually came into view after what felt like forever and Kate sighed in relief. She really wanted to put her mind at ease and make sure that Jack was going to be ok. She was really worried about him and she felt like this time he had pushed himself too far. She scolded herself thinking that she should have pressured him more to rest. But would he have listened to her? Probably not. If he didn't make it out of this…she stopped the thought dead before she could finish it. Jack was a fighter, and stubborn, he _would_ make it out of this. _He had to_.

They put Sayid to rest in his tent after Juliet checked him out. She said that he should be fine, and Kate just nodded. She realized that while she was worried about Sayid, her fear and worry for Jack was at the forefront of her mind, and she kept picturing his pale face, and his blood soaked shoulder. She glanced down at her hands and realized that some of Jack's blood was on her hands from when she held him. She looked at the red, almost numbly, scared that the evidence of the injury the man she lov…cared about, she corrected herself, was so visible for everyone to see. Juliet looked up at Kate and saw her eyes glistening. She knew that those tears were not about to spill for the ex-soldier but for the doctor that lay in his tent a few feet away.

Juliet touched Kate's arm gently and Kate looked up into Juliet's eyes. "Let's go see about Jack now."

Kate nodded too overcome with emotion to even utter a single word in response. She just got up and followed Juliet out of Sayid's tent, and made their way over to where Jack lay still unconscious, her blood stained hands forgotten. As they entered the tent Sawyer glanced up at them.

"He hasn't changed, but his shoulder looks pretty bad," Sawyer commented staring at Kate the entire time he spoke.

Kate's eyebrows furrowed and her eyes brimmed with tears, but she didn't allow them to fall, she knelt next to Jack and took his limp hand and held them in her two. She stroked his cheek and watched his lifeless face. She just wished that he would open his eyes, she wanted more than anything right now to hear his voice again and see those beautiful brown eyes. She watched as Jack's face suddenly got wet and that's when she realized that she was crying.

"Is he going to be ok?" she asked tearfully looking at Juliet. She quickly brushed the tears off her cheeks, and tried to rein in her emotions.

Juliet didn't answer but instead began to examine Jack's wound. Her face showed immediate concern as she realized that his wound was in horrible shape. She was almost 100% sure that it was infected, and that Jack needed antibiotics if he was going to fight off the infection. She turned quickly to look at Kate and Sawyer.

"Are there any antibiotics left?" She asked hopefully.

Kate took on a deer-in-the-headlights look, caught off guard that these were the words that came out of Juliet's mouth. Kate's mouth just gaped open and close like a fish, because she had no idea what the state of their medical supply was. Sawyer grimaced before replying.

"Sorry blondie, but like I told the Doc earlier, we're fresh outta drugs."

Juliet acknowledged this and nodded. She sighed, her face remained almost expressionless, and her body, motionless.

"What are you doing?" Kate demanded. "Juliet?"

"There's only one way I can really help him Kate." She looked up at the brunette. "He needs the antibiotics for the infection."

Kate looked crazed wondering where Juliet was going with this. This was bad; they didn't have antibiotics, what did that mean? That he wouldn't be ok? She didn't say anything but she waited for Juliet to begin speaking again.

"We have to go to the Other's camp." She stated.

"No…" Kate started, shaking her head. Was she crazy? Back to the people who did this to him. "They won't help us. They did this to Jack!"

"Yea blondie, that's not a good plan, unless you wanna get us all killed." Sawyer narrowed his eyes and spoke gruffly as he agreed with Kate, folding his arms over his chest.

"Kate, James," she looked at each of them as she said their names, hoping to emphasize her point that she was about to make. They needed to realize how serious the Jack's condition was. "If he doesn't get the meds, then Jack dies. Do you want that to happen?" Juliet asked, her voice rising in octaves. She ended her spiel by looking at Kate, almost as if challenging her to disagree.

Kate gave a look of disbelief. "_Of course_ I want Jack to live." She said emotionally, as a tear drifted down her right cheek.

"Well then we have to go back to the Other's camp and get the medication."

"I'll do it then." Sawyer piped up from behind them.

Kate darted her head to him quickly, shocked at how quickly he volunteered, especially for something that would help Jack. "Sawyer…" she started skeptically. "You don't have to do this."

"Yea I do Freckles." He looked right into her green eyes and held her gaze. He stepped closer to her. "Just so you know, I'm not doing this for the Doc." He said his voice low. He was so close to her, that Kate felt his breath on her face.

Kate was slightly taken aback, at his proximity and his comment, but then she should have suspected that from Sawyer.

"Thank you." She replied, bowing her head, and then looking him in his eyes once again.

He nodded and left the tent. Kate desperately wanted to go but she didn't want to leave Jack. What if he took a turn for the worse and she wasn't there? She could never forgive herself if that happened. Suddenly Jack started shaking as tremors racked his body.

"Jack?" Kate felt as if her stomach had dropped, like when you were a rollercoaster, and they drop you from several feet in the air. Only this time, it wasn't fun she felt but fear; she was terrified that she would lose him before she ever really had him. She had never told him…_Oh god_. Her emotions got the best of her at that moment.

"What's happening to him?" she asked Juliet, her face clearly showing the emotions she felt.

"His body is trying to fight off the infection itself." She bent to examine his wound. "He's going to need those meds sooner than I thought."

"What?" She was astonished that he was worse than expected. Her hopes were slowly diminishing by the second of ever seeing Jack well again. She moved behind him and held his head against her cradling his forehead. She bent her head and whispered in his ear.

"Jack. Hey, you have to pull through this ok." She couldn't help it as the tears flowed freely down her face now. She rested her chin on his head and closed her eyes, wishing this was just a dream.

"I'm going to stitch him up, clean the wound, and then we just have to wait until Sawyer gets back with the meds."

Kate nodded and sniffled.

"I'm going to need you to move Kate," Juliet said apologetically. "I need to get to his wound."

Kate nodded again and reluctantly released him, but not before she placed a kiss on his forehead. She moved down to hold his hand instead, and watched as Juliet got to work.

BR…

Claire looked around the room worriedly. She still hadn't seen Aaron and this fact scared her. She had demanded to see him on several occasions, but was constantly told that when the time was right they would be reunited. That Ben guy, who appeared to be their leader, scared her to no end. There was something in his eyes that Claire noticed immediately. He looked like he was capable of anything. This made her extremely worried for Aaron's safety. Where was he? What were they doing to him? She had to get to him, she decided. She began to search the room she was in, looking for a way to escape.

BR…

Sawyer packed his bag with bottles of water and whatever else he thought that he may need for the hike to the Other's camp. The reality of the situation was that he wasn't really going to ask anyone along because he didn't trust anyone in their camp. He also didn't want to worry about anyone else but himself, and he didn't need anyone slowing him down. He had just said that he would get others to come with him so Kate would get off his back about going by himself. He knew she would have made a fuss about that. Maybe she still had feelings for him? He saw a pack of cigarettes by his make shift bed and threw it in for good measure. This was not going to be an easy feat.

He threw back the tarp from his tent and was about to leave when he heard his name being called.

"Sawyer! Wait!"

He turned around to face Kate as she jogged up to him, her hair flying around her face, and as she got closer it was noticeable that she had been crying from her tear streaked face, and red rimmed eyes.

"What is it Freckles. You wanna give me a kiss for good luck?" He smirked and gave her his best smile.

She returned his smile, happy for his banter, despite the gloom she was feeling in her heart.

"Just came to say be careful. Don't do anything stupid ok?" She knitted her eyebrows and looked up at him.

He just continued smiling. "Aw you know me Freckles…" he trailed off.

"Exactly." Kate cut in. "So don't do anything reckless James."

He was about to answer, when Kate spoke up again. "Where is everyone else?" Her eyes scanned the beach around him, but no one around looked like they were getting ready for a hike.

He was confused by her question for a second, and then he caught on quickly before she became suspicious.

"They just took off before you walked up to me." He said, pointing a thumb behind him into the jungle. "And right now you're stopping me from following. So how about that kiss?"

Kate gave him a shove on his chest and looked skeptical as she eyed him suspiciously searching his face.

"You're lying."

He bowed his head, almost ashamed that he had been caught. He smirked as he raised his head again.

"Sawyer, you can't go by yours…"

"Kate I can handle myself, now are we gonna stand here discussing this while Jacko over there gets worse?" He knew he could convince her by bringing up Jack's name.

She grew quiet all of a sudden and looked down at her feet in the sand. She didn't want Sawyer to go by his self, it was extremely dangerous and she didn't want him to get hurt. Those Others didn't seem to have any compassion for the survivors of the crash. She did care about the Southerner, but on the other hand, she wanted to be there for Jack. She wanted to be by his side, while he was this sick. It was a tough decision and she almost forgot Sawyer was standing there looking at her.

"Kate, I don't need your help." Sawyer said trying to dissuade her from coming and hence protect her. He couldn't bear it if something happened to Kate.

"I think you do." She crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn gesture.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance." They both turned around upon hearing the voice and saw Locke staring at them with a wide smile on his face.

Kate got a confused look on her face, shocked to see Locke standing before them.

"What the…" Sawyer exclaimed.

"John, what happened to you?" Kate questioned. She remembered how the man had just disappeared in the jungle hours ago, and now here he stood in front of them as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Locke waved a hand in the air as if brushing off the question. "That doesn't matter now Kate. I can go with Sawyer and get Jack the medication he needs."

Sawyer eyed him suspiciously. "Oh yea Mr. Clean, how about you tell us where you've been first. You just disappeared during a gun fight. Two guys get injured and you ain't around to help out. So you bet your ass I want some sorta explanation. Or else I ain't going anywhere with you hoss."

Kate looked at Sawyer as he spoke, agreeing with him for once, and she turned back to John waiting to hear his answer.

Locke smiled and looked down, then glanced back up at them smiling. "I was with them, the Others." He said, his eyes glinting.

BR…

Juliet was stitching up Jack's wound when another shudder ran through him. She stopped and tried to hold him down. Dammit where was Kate? Juliet actually needed her to hold Jack down so she could finish stitching his wound. He had already lost too much blood, and if he lost anymore, then things would be a lot worse than they were right now.

"Jack, it's ok. Just try not to move too much ok?" She tried to plead with him, not sure if he heard her or not, but she had to try.

"Kate?" He whispered, his eyes never opened but instead scrunched in pain.

Juliet was thrown off guard for a second but not totally surprised that he had called out for Kate. She had realized after being at the camp for a week, that Jack was very much in love with Kate.

"Kate?" He called out again. "I'm sorry…" He trailed off and got quiet again, except for his lips moving, and mumbling incoherently.

"Jack?" Juliet tried, hoping he would regain consciousness. "Jack, can you hear me?" When she got no answer she sighed resonantly and continued to finish the job she had started on his shoulder.

BR…

"Help! HELP ME SOMEBODY!" Claire yelled at the top of her lungs hoping to attract the guard and put her plan into motion. She curled on the floor in a ball, holding a piece of wood that she had managed to break off from an already dilapidated chair.

She continued her tirade as she heard the door open and a man entered the room.

"What's wrong with you?" He questioned, bending to touch her on her arm.

She groaned, and then realized the time was now or never. She quickly brought the wood up and stuck it into the man's side. He groaned in pain and fell over, clutched the spot where the wood stuck out from his gut.

Claire's eyes opened in surprise that she had been able to do that. She stood rooted in her spot for a second more and then her mind returned to her reason for the fighting spirit that she had recently acquired. Aaron.

She steadily left the room, and looked down the hall. Not seeing anyone, she glanced out the window, stooping below the sill, so she could just peep over it and see what was going on outside. It seemed like the coast was clear, but the problem was, she wasn't just escaping, she had to find Aaron and she had no idea where they might be keeping him.

She continued to crouch below the window and saw Ben emerge from a house to her left. Maybe Aaron was in there. It would be like walking into the lion's den she thought to herself, but at least he had just left, so now was her chance. She was about to make a move toward the door, when she realized that Ben was heading in her direction. He was coming to see her.

BR…

"Did I hear you right?" Sawyer asked in disbelief.

"The Others?" Kate said her tone hard. She really hated that group of people, for what they did to Jack and Claire.

Locke nodded. "Yes."

They were all silent for a second. Then Sawyer threw his arms up in exasperation.

"You mind explaining yourself there? What were you doing with the Others?" He was even more wary of the man now than ever before. Was he working with them?

"James, the Others are not our enemies."

"What?" Kate shrieked in disbelief. "Jack would beg to differ. He's fighting for his life right now because of _them_."

Locke sighed as if he was trying to explain something to a kid and they just weren't getting it because it was too complicated for them to understand.

"Kate, the Others sent me back here." He said frustrated now.

Kate's heart thudded in her chest at his word. All of a sudden she felt exposed because she wasn't even armed, but she glanced at Sawyer and saw that his hand was close to his weapon.

"You don't want to do that James." Locke put his hand out to James as if trying to silence him.

Sawyer stared daggers at him and stood motionless, deciding what to do.

"What do you mean the Others sent you back here John?" Kate asked vehemently.

"Cut the cryptic bullshit Locke, or I'm gonna have to shoot you." Sawyer threatened.

Locke looked at both of them and chuckled. "I'm not here to hurt you or anyone. Just to help. I'll get Jack the medicine he needs. You don't have a choice James. So what's it going to be?" He put his hands on his hips, his stance grounded and cocky, because he knew he had them.

Kate looked worried. The fate of Jack's life rested on Locke's shoulders, she didn't like this at all. She knew Jack would have hated it too.

Sawyer was still fixing Locke with a death stare until Kate spoke up.

"He's right Sawyer, he's all we've got, even if we don't trust him." Kate sighed, realizing that they had been beat.

"No he ain't Freckles. I can go by myself and he can have a little seat by a tree with some good ole rope."

"James…"

"You will be dead if you do this by yourself." Locke stated. "If you want Jack to live, you must come with me."

"What are you, a terminator?" Sawyer grumbled. "Fine. But try anything funny, and you're a dead man."

"Same goes for you James." Locke said. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding."

Kate glanced back and forth between the two men as they argued. When it seemed like they had come to a decision she made up her mind.

"I'm coming with you." She stated, turning to go get her bag.

"No you ain't," Sawyer grabbed her arm.

"You can't stop me Sawyer," she said as she yanked her arm away. "Besides," she whispered as she came closer to him, talking so that Locke couldn't hear, "two is better than one if he tries something."

Sawyer shook his head, still disagreeing with her.

"Sawyer," she locked onto his eyes now, pleading with him, "if something happens to you, then Jack doesn't get his meds, and he dies… I…I can't let that happen, and I can't _sit here_ any longer while he suffers and watch. I _need _to do something."

Sawyer stared at her for a few seconds, and bowed his head. Kate knew she had convinced him, and he gave her a barely perceptible nod.

"Go get your bag Freckles. Time's a wasting."

She ran off to her tent quickly and Sawyer watched her go. He turned to look at Locke who was looking at them with a creepy smile on his face.

BR…

"Juliet." Kate rushed into Jack's tent. She decided that she needed to tell Juliet that she was going with Sawyer and Locke to get the antibiotics.

Juliet looked up at her as she entered. Relieved that the woman had come back to help, she assumed. "Kate, where have you been? He's been asking for you."

"What?" Kate said shocked. "He woke up?" She knelt next to him and touched his forehead which was hot to the touch.

"He didn't regain consciousness. He called your name." She looked at Kate with a tight lipped expression and sad eyes.

Kate licked her lips and stared at Juliet not knowing what to say. She wished she had been there, and now she was leaving him. She had too, she reminded herself. It was to save his life.

When Kate didn't say anything Juliet glanced down. "It must be because of the fever, he's delirious."

Kate nodded.

Juliet, began to get her instruments back together, and cleaned it, before packing them back into her bag. She was deciding whether or not to tell Kate what else Jack had muttered.

"He said he was sorry." She looked up at Kate then expectantly and a little annoyed.

Kate looked up confused, her eyes glistening.

"Sorry?" She shook her head, trying to comprehend what Jack could be apologizing for. "For what?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Juliet said.

Kate sighed and looked at Jack's face. What was he sorry for? That he had kissed her? That he had been reckless with his health? What?

The next words that were spoken surprised Juliet.

"I'm leaving." Kate spoke up. She tried to make her voice strong and her demeanor on the outside appear the same, even though on the inside, she was crumbling.

Juliet just stared at her.

"I'm going with Sawyer and Locke to get the meds."

"Why do you need to go?" Juliet questioned. This was strange. One minute the woman was staying, the next she was running off into the jungle. She seemed fickle, like she couldn't make up her mind, and she definitely couldn't stay in one place for a long period of time.

"Locke is working with the Others now. If he tries something with Sawyer, it would be better if I was there to help him, otherwise, Jack may never get the antibiotics."

"You do realize, that if he is working with the Others. You are up against more than just John Locke. You going doesn't really help Kate. In fact it might make Sawyer weaker, especially if they take you hostage." She said wisely.

"That won't happen." Kate stood, ready to leave. "Besides I can't stay here any longer and watch him suffer his way to his death. I need to do something." Kate exited the tent and walked over to where Sawyer and Locke were waiting on her.

"Kate!" Juliet called from behind her. Kate stopped but didn't turn around. "What if he asks for you, what do you want me to say?"

"The truth." Kate said, turning to face her. She turned her back to Juliet and started walking again, but Juliet's next words stopped her cold in her tracks, and sent a shiver of fear up her spine.

"What if he dies Kate?"


End file.
